Longboat Observer 1.13.22

LONGBOAT

Observer

Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

Wild Florida.

PAGE 12

FREE • THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

VOLUME 44, NO. 23

Stuck in traffic . . . again

YOUR TOWN

Longboaters find ways to deal with seasonal hourlong rides to the mainland. PAGE 3

T E A M E D U P

Courtesy photo

Holiday wedding bells ring for pair

Nat Kaemmerer

Top: Division 1 champions Marc Pommainville, Stacey Allerton, Rebecca Gibson and Randy Gibson Above: Division 2 champions Andy Geller, MJ Waite, Rhonda Snow and Bob Dreyfus Below: Division 3 champions Melissa Stanley, Joe Malave, Nelson Cabrera and Jennifer Herke

Veterans and rookies alike win at Observer Challenge tennis event. PAGE 16

A+E

Theater idea debuts Classically Fab. INSIDE

Group seeks indoor performance space..

SEE PAGE 5 File photo

The Theatre on the Green group has collected or been pledged funds of about $300,000 out of a $750,000 goal to build a black box theater at the Town Center site.

Christmas bells weren’t the only ones ringing on Longboat Key in the days leading up to the holiday. On Dec. 19 at Longboat Island Chapel, wedding bells were ringing for Savannah McGee and Benjamin Geiger.

The Longboat Key couple tied the knot with the Rev. Brock Patterson as officiant.

McGee has lived on Longboat Key since 2007 with her parents and now lives with Geiger at Longboat Harbour Condominiums. Originally, the couple was supposed to get married on Dec. 20, 2020, but pushed their plans back due to the pandemic. After their happy union, they celebrated with their families at the Bridge Street Bistro.

Missing something?

The Music statue on St. Armands Circle is “A flat” these days, but some of its edges might “B sharp” after a fall last week. The damaged statue is missing its head and hands after a tumble, likely caused by someone climbing on it.

St. Armands Circle Association Executive Director Diana Corrigan said she was notified on Jan. 5 that the statue, located near the island-bound entrance to the Circle, had fallen. She notified the city but didn’t know when it would be picked up and repaired.

As of Jan. 10, Music was on its pedestal, albeit still missing a couple of appendages.

Corrigan said the Circle has had problems with people climbing on statues in the past.

The statues are considered public art, and Corrigan said visitors should refrain from touching them. Several are replicas of Ringling Museum pieces, while others were donated by John Ringling himself in the 1920s.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

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Fire pit issues spark call for change A new proposal seeks to allow town-issued permitting for fire pits outside of structures.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

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Photos by Mark Bergin

Longboat Key’s Town Code does not currently allow permitting for propane and natural gas fire pits outside of structures.

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ane Herrin sees a common problem these days when developers seek to build gas fire pits outside of their residential structures.

With no rules on the town’s books to cover the newly trendy outdoorliving features, Herrin, a Longboat Key assistant fire chief and the town’s fire marshal, said she often has no choice.

“The last several developments have (come) in with fire pits on their facilities — St. Regis, Sage, all these new developments — and I’ve had to deny them,” she said.

So, she told the Town Commission, permitting considerations for the propane and natural gas fire pits need to be established to build them in such places as yards, patios and pool decks.

“I felt with these other facilities coming in, we needed to modify this to make it happen,” Herrin said.

It’s something the Town Commission will consider changing after approving the first reading of an ordinance that would add the following to section Section 96.11 of the town code: “Outside gas fueled fire pit equipment that is permanently installed in accordance with applicable Florida and National Fire Codes and manufacturer’s instructions shall be permitted. A permit from the Town of Longboat Key for natural or propane gas installation shall be required for any permanently installed fire pit.”

The fire marshal and building official are responsible for reviewing and approving plans for permitting. They are also responsible for inspections once work on the fire pits begins.

The existing town code states open fires are prohibited in Longboat Key

Jane Herrin, Longboat Key assistant fire chief and fire marshal, spoke before the Town Commission on Monday to discuss proposed changes to the town code about the permitting process for permanently installed fire pits.

with a few exceptions: Open fires for the cooking of food for human consumption on other than commercial premises. n Fires to abate a fire hazard, providing the hazard is so declared by the fire department. n Fires for the prevention or control of disease or pests. n Fires for training personnel in the methods of fighting fires. n Fires for the disposal of dangerous materials, where there is no alternate method of disposal and burning is approved by the town manager.

Herrin said several fire pits have popped up around town at restaurants and condo developments. n

Many times, the fire pits are installed throughout Longboat Key by contractors without a townissued permit, according to Town Manager Tom Harmer.

“We’d have to look at each of the individual cases to make sure that they were safe, and all that will be handled by (Planning, Zoning and Building Director) Allen (Parsons) and the building official and the fire marshal,” Harmer said.

The proposal is now subject to second reading and Town Commission approval on Feb. 7.

“I hope people utilize the permit aspect before they go and start doing it themselves,” Herrin said of the proposed changes.

Herrin explained what the town will look for when a developer applies for a permit to build a fire pit if the changes are accepted.

“What we’re going to look at is setbacks, what their application is, what type of pit they’re using, what type of appliances they’re using, where they’re tapping in at, and then pressure testing those lines,” Herrin said.

Herrin said she anticipates receiving many permits for fire pits given the Town Commission’s likely approval next month.

On Monday, commissioners voted 6-0 in support of the measure.

“I think we all know that it’s happening all over the country,” Herrin said. “These fire pits come in, and the fact that it doesn’t produce smoke, so there’s not that health issue.

“And I thought it was more appropriate for Longboat Key to go this route.”

Herrin said the proposed changes won’t cost developers time and money to reconfigure their plans, which is often necessary given the existing town code.

“They understand because you send them the vocabulary out of it and didn’t give me any leeway,” Herrin said. “I mean, I felt bad about it as well.

“That’s why I just stepped up and decided I would go take this opportunity to change the code.”

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

HOSPITAL BOUND Emergent patient: Someone not breathing who first responders are performing CPR on. First responders can use emergency lights and sirens.

Non-emergent patient: Someone who is ill, sick or injured. First responders cannot use emergency lights and sirens when transporting this kind of patient.

ROUNDING UP THE SEASON

Photos by Mark Bergin

Above: A rooftop view on Jan. 7 shows the roundabout traffic configuration of U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue. Right: Roundabout construction at U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue is set to complete by fall 2022.

Construction will continue throughout much of 2022 at U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

T

he holidays have come and gone, which means snowbird season is underway.

The return of season has prompted traffic gridlock at times, as crews continue roundabout construction at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue.

In the week after Christmas, southbound Longboat Key traffic was backed up all the way to Bay Isles Parkway. Northbound traffic wasn’t much better with congestion starting at the 5200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive by one account.

“That’s within about two miles of completely being gridlocked,” said Longboat Limousine President Jimmy Seaton. “Our normal half hour to get to Sarasota airport from mid-Key was an hour, and sometimes more.”

Traffic flow has improved in recent weeks at the busy downtown Sarasota intersection, but Country Club Shores resident Bruce Goldsen said his neighbors told him about their traffic woes. And more changes to flow were expected this week as underground pipe work prompts a lane closure.

“There were people who anecdotally were saying it was 45 minutes to an hour to get from my area to St. Armands,” Goldsen said. “But, like I say, that was like two or three days of hell, and then it seemed to right itself as New Year’s hit.”

There is concern among Longboaters that the bumper-to-bumper traffic could get worse as more people return for season. It’s no secret the number of people on the island triples from its full-time population of about 7,000 people.

“If you come from a place that had a lot of traffic before, you start to learn shortcuts, and what time is a good time to go, and how to maneuver,” Longboat Key resident Fred Lawson said.

Safety, particularly getting people to and from Sarasota Memorial Hospital, is also something to consider.

Longboat Key Fire Chief Paul Dezzi estimated 90% of the patients in Longboat Key choose to go to Sarasota Memorial Hospital instead of Blake Medical Center in Bradenton.

If a patient is unconscious, Dezzi said the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department transports the person to the nearest hospital.

Dezzi said firefighter-paramedics in his department have noticed an increase in traffic volume, especially near St. Armands Circle.

“If we have a major type of patient in the back of the rescue, we’re going to go lights and sirens to the hospital,” Dezzi said. “And, we haven’t had much issue with lights and sirens to the hospital, but with that in mind, we don’t transport every single patient (using) lights and sirens.”

Plus, first responders need to return to the island after they’ve dropped the patient off at SMH. “The distance hasn’t changed, but the traffic has changed, so coming back is going to be an issue for us as well,” Dezzi said. “We don’t run lights and sirens back to the firehouse.”

First responders at Sarasota County Fire Station No. 3 at 47 N. Adams Drive back up the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department when either department has to take a patient to the hospital, Dezzi said.

TRAFFIC CONFIGURATIONS TO CHANGE AGAIN

The Florida Department of Transportation is in the Phase IA configuration of its $8.6 million project on U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue. The state’s plan is to finish by fall 2022.

“Folks who haven’t been here for a while can’t seem to understand why they’re doing it this time of year, and I said, ‘Well, it’s going to overlap next year too,’” Seaton said. “So, it takes time. What’s the saying? You break some eggs to make an omelet.”

From February until March, FDOT is planning to move to its Phase IB configuration, which means reopening the temporary pedestrian path along the northern part of Gulfstream Avenue and the west side of U.S. 41. While traveling east along Gulfstream Avenue, motorists will also be able to continue east in the far right lane along Gulfstream heading toward downtown Sarasota. The lane to continue on Gulfstream Avenue is currently blocked.

Phase IIA is scheduled from April to May. Pedestrian access will be restricted along the east side of U.S. 41.

Phase IIB — when the roundabout itself will first open — is set for June to August.

If the previous traffic pattern changes are any indication, delays are likely when the configurations are altered again.

Longboaters have expressed their concerns about their perceived lack of police presence to enforce the current traffic configurations, the far west lane of U.S. 41 closed just south of Fruitville Road and the addition of HAWK pedestrian crossings at U.S. 41 and Fruitville.

“The fact that every person who pushes a button can create a red light on a U.S. route that has that many… tens of thousands of cars a day, you push a button and the traffic stops in both directions, to me, is ludicrous because there’s no rhyme or reason,” Seaton said. “It’s like a drawbridge that would open every two minutes for a boat to go by.”

Longboat Key resident Judy Lasman said she would like to see an increased police presence near Gulfstream Avenue and Golden Gate

Point. It’s there that traffic flow takes an unusual temporary shift in which vehicles for several hundred yards drive on the left lanes of the road.

“Many people in our building have witnessed near-accidents or accidents,” Lasman said. “So, what we notice is that there’s no police presence there. So, the sign says no left turn, but that doesn’t matter because nobody’s watching.”

Longboat residents also expressed their desire for overhead pedestrian crossing. The elevated walkway never came to fruition and is something Longboat Key leaders advocated for, for years.

Seaton’s company transports clients to and from downtown Sarasota on a daily basis. He said he initially was a “naysayer,” but believes the roundabouts along U.S. 41 at Fruitville Road, 10th Street and 14th Street are working quicker than the intersections used to operate.

“We haven’t had a full season yet, of course, but anecdotally…I probably put as many miles through those circles as any individual and they’re working OK,” Seaton said.

Lawson was more skeptical.

“I think that my issue has become, I would have waited for people (to have) gotten more used to the other roundabouts because I think the roundabouts aren’t working as well as they expected, mostly because… it’s like people don’t realize the rules,” Lawson said.

Both men said they understood the importance of remaining patient, especially as many drivers are experiencing the roundabouts for the first time since returning for the season.

“You’re sitting at a roundabout, you want to yell out at the person, ‘OK, you can go! You don’t have to yield!’” Lawson said. “So, I think that my answer is, it’s short-lived.”

“People have a little learning curve and you’ve got to be a little patient,” Seaton said.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

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Market comes to Longboat Key

We are there when you can’t be.

More than 60 vendors and three different food trucks will be on hand every month.

NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

L

ongboat Key plans to launch a farmers market at Town Center Green on Friday, Jan. 14, that will feature 66 booths with vendors selling everything from art and produce to home goods and more.

“We’re very excited about it, and the vendors are very excited about it because they love getting out and meeting new people, and this is a great opportunity to meet some new people and show them what they do,” said Nancy Ambrose, who will be the manager of the market.

Ambrose has also managed the Coquina Beach Market, which takes place on Wednesdays. The market on Longboat Key, which will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be smaller initially, but Ambrose and Longboat Key Support Services Director Carolyn Brown hope to create an event that’s exciting and fresh for vendors and visitors alike.

“We’re going to be setting up in the parking lot, not on the green itself, and we’ll have about 66 vendors and three food trucks each day,” Ambrose said.

One market will be held each month until March, and Ambrose said 2022 is something of a test run to see how the market might do on Longboat Key. Ambrose has heard excitement from residents living near the area who plan on walking

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The market will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road. n Jan. 14 n Feb. 11 n March 11

Courtesy photo

Advanced Bromeliads will have a booth at the market.

to the market, and she hopes that it will bring the community together to sit and talk with vendors and one another. Expected vendor offerings include kettle corn, produce, sunscreen, clothing, shoes, health and beauty items, guacamole and handmade bags. The food truck The Maine Lane, which serves lobster rolls and clam chowder, will be there all three times.

“It’s an opportunity to bring the community together and for people to do something fun without having to leave the island,” Brown said.

LONGBOAT

Observer

TOWN OF LONGBOAT KEY NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING & HEARING ORDINANCE 2022-02 January 18, 2022 – 9:15 AM

1970 Main St., Third Floor, Sarasota, FL 34236 PHONE: 941-366-3468 | WEBSITE: www.YourObserver.com

TO EMAIL US

Please take notice that a public meeting and hearing of the Town of Longboat Key’s Planning and Zoning Board will be held to consider proposed modifications to Title 15, Land Development Code, Chapter 158, Zoning Code, of the Code of Ordinances of the Town of Longboat Key, as more particularly set forth in Ordinance 2022-02:

Email press releases, announcements and Letters to the Editor to: Kat Hughes, khughes@yourobserver.com

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ORDINANCE 2022-02

Display Advertising: To obtain information,

AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF LONGBOAT KEY, FLORIDA, MODIFYING AND AMENDING TITLE 15 LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, CHAPTER 158: ZONING CODE; AMENDING ARTICLE II, DECISION MAKING AND APPEALS; AMENDING SECTION 158.009, CHART OF DECISIONS AND APPEALS; AMENDING SECTION 158.011, PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD; AMENDING ARTICLE III, DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCEDURES; AMENDING SECTION 158.018 APPLICATIONS FOR SPECIAL EXCEPTION USES; AMENDING SECTION 158.019, SPECIAL EXCEPTION USES; AMENDING SECTION 158.029, SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN, SUBMISSION PROCEDURES; AMENDING ARTICLE V, SUPPLEMENTAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS; AMENDING SECTION 158.114, PERSONAL WIRELESS SERVICE FACILITY DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS; PROVIDING FOR RETROACTIVE APPLICATION; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR CODIFICATION; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

call Sam Johnson at 941-366-3468, Ext. 319.

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The public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Board on proposed Ordinance 2022-02 will be held on January 18, 2022, at 9:15 a.m., or as soon thereafter as may be heard, in the Town Commission Chambers at Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, Florida.

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No verbatim record by a certified court reporter is made of these proceedings. Accordingly, any person who may seek to appeal any decision involving the matters noticed herein will be responsible for making a verbatim record of the testimony and evidence at these proceedings upon which any appeal is to be based (see Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes). In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 286.26, Florida Statutes, persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact the Town Clerk’s office at 941-316-1999 seventy-two (72) hours in advance of this proceeding. If you are hearing impaired, please call 941-316-8719.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

Tom Aposporos

Pat Zunz and Ed Zunz

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

5

George Spoll and Madelyn Spoll

Key group stands alone with theater proposal The proposal calls for raising $750,000 in private donations to build a black box theater.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

A group of Longboat Key leaders has proposed and is raising money for a black box theater to be built on the Town Center Green. Town officials said the public announcement of the plan surprised them and could run counter to discussions already underway.

The late December news release from former Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce President Tom Aposporos and former commissioners Ed Zunz and George Spoll said the group is close to halfway of its fundraising goal of $750,000.

“I respect the roles of all of these folks who are involved on the side of government and staff in Longboat Key,” said Aposporos, director of the group called Theatre on the Green.

“My goal is to be as helpful to making them understand every aspect of this as I can be.”

The town-owned 4.8-acre Town Center site has evolved from a wooded tract to one now active as a publicgathering spot with musical events, farmers markets and more planned.

The original plan for the land, to work alongside Ringling College of Art and Design on a multipurpose building financed by private money,

fell through in 2018.

Among the amenities now in the pipeline: n A 50-foot outdoor stage built with the help of a donation in December from Sarah and Paul Karon. The plan is for crews to build the new stage in time for next year’s snowbird season. n The Longboat Key Historical Society plans to open its historic cottage as a museum at some point this year. n Discussions with the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, the Longboat Foundation and Sarasota County to perhaps one day build a multipurpose structure that could include a county library.

Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier said he was “surprised and disappointed the (news) release got sent out.”

In a Dec. 30, 2021, email to the Town Commission, Town Manager Tom Harmer confirmed that the Theatre on the Green group is advancing its proposal independent of the town. However, Harmer said the town plans to retain control and approval of any proposed projects at the town-owned site.

Schneier said he hadn’t heard from Spoll about the proposal until a day before the release went out.

“He called me and he said he wanted to let me know that he was working on a project, and he told me about it,” Schneier said. “He didn’t want to blindside me, but I said, ‘George, I’ve heard about this from everybody but you.’”

Spoll declined a request for an interview, deferring to Aposporos.

“The purpose of Theatre on the

File photos

The Theatre on the Green group said donations and pledges total about $300,000 of the $750,000 it hopes to raise to build a black box theater.

Green Inc. is to complement, not compete with, similar venues on the mainland,” the group’s public release said.

Schneier said he tried to discourage Spoll from going too far with the proposal to build the black box theater.

“The town, and everyone knows this to one degree or another, has been actively pursuing a unified plan for Town Center buildings,” Schneier said.

Aposporos, who has previously served on the Anna Maria City Commission and the Poughkeepsie City Council in New York, estimated that the Theatre on the Green group would seek to raise about $750,000 to build the black box theater.

In the release, the Theatre on

the Green group announced it has reached 40% of its goal through donations and pledges.

Schneier said it’s not enough money to build a black box theater.

“It is patently ridiculous to think a standalone theater could be built for that ($750,000),” Schneier said.

“It couldn’t be equipped for that, no less built.”

Following skepticism from the Town Commission in 2019, Ringling College stepped back from its relationship with the town to build an $11.32 million Arts, Culture and Education Center.

Schneier said it would have cost an additional $6.5 million to $7 million to build a theater with the Ringling College proposal.

“George and Ed…decided not to

support it, so why is that of significance now?” Schneier said of Spoll and Zunz’s votes as commissioners against Ringling College’s proposal in 2019. “It’s because I have this very concerning feeling of deja vu about George raising issues again and doing things that he’s been told before he issued a press release (that) could be disruptive to the unified plan that we’ve been working on with a variety of parties.”

Aposporos said a black box theater is needed to accommodate indoor events due to the intense Florida heat and frequent rain. He also explained the reasoning to build a black box instead of a multipurpose room.

“You can certainly use … a professionally constructed, well-thoughtout black box theater as a multipurpose room, but you can’t always use a multipurpose room as a theater for professionals,” Aposporos said.

The Town Commission is scheduled to hear a staff update about the Town Center project at its Jan. 24 workshop meeting.

Theatre on the Green lists Spoll as its president and Zunz as vice president. Pat Zunz, a former town commissioner and Ed Zunz’s wife, is listed as the treasurer. Spoll’s wife, Madelyn Spoll, is listed as the secretary. Tom and Kim Freiwald are also involved as directors.

“I hope that this is an incredibly harmonious exercise as we go forward, and that we’re all able to look upon each other as just wanting the very best for Longboat Key and for a specific project like this on Longboat Key,” Aposporos said.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

Dig this: Utility work may cost $3.7M less Last phase of the underground project is projected to offer most of the savings, at about $1.83 million.

TIMELINE FPL PHASE ONE n Original budget: $4.43 million n Current budget: $3.78 million n Engineering deposit/materials: $183,432 n Total savings: $460,079

MARK BERGIN

FPL PHASE TWO n Original budget: $7.3 million n Current budget: $5.63 million n Engineering deposit/materials: $1.49 million n Total savings: $185,613

STAFF WRITER

L

ongboat Key’s undergrounding utilities project will likely cost less than what the town had originally budgeted.

Projections provided by the Public Works Department show the town can expect to save about $3.7 million in the four-phase project.

“Any unspent bond proceeds will be used to redeem bonds, which will reduce the overall debt burden,” Town Manager Tom Harmer wrote in an email. “This is required based on mandatory bond redemption features in the bond documents.”

Harmer said the town is planning to hire a consultant to recalculate the assessments based on the new debt payment schedule and actual costs.

The recalculation can be done in one of two ways, according to Harmer. It could reduce the annual payments or keep the payments relatively the same but be paid over a shorter period.

“The first option is probably the most preferred,” Harmer wrote.

“We would review the project closeout and any actions to redeem bonds with the Town Commission once the town’s undergrounding work is complete.”

Harmer said anyone who prepaid their assessment will be excluded from the calculation since they are not subject to the bonded indebtedness.

Also, if there are any refinance opportunities in the future, another recalculation would take place.

Town staff has reached out to bond counsel for further guidance.

Harmer credited the savings to efficient project management, credits from the power company increasing in the last few years, and

FPL PHASE THREE n Original budget: $5.57 million n Current budget: $4.15 million n Engineering deposit/materials: $189,400 n Total savings: $1.24 million FPL PHASE FOUR n Original budget: $7.91 million n Current budget: $5.4 million n Engineering deposit/materials: $677,315 n Total savings: $1.83 million FRONTIER/COMCAST n Original budget: $3.02 million n Current budget: $2.83 million n Total savings: $185,294 Figures provided by the town of File photo

Longboat Key

Volt Power Co. workers removed several light poles in the Country Club Shores neighborhood in summer 2021.

cost savings to the utility company for facilities being put underground rather than above.

Harmer explained why phase four of the project — which goes from Dream Island Road south to the county line — had the most savings of any of the other three phases, at about $1.83 million.

“This is the last phase and had the most benefit related to the credit from the utility, as well as efficiencies associated with the elimination of one of the phases, which was combined into phase four,” Harmer wrote.

On Monday, the Town Commis-

sion approved easements for Florida Power & Light equipment on town property: n 4250 Gulf of Mexico Drive: MidKey Water Plant (25 feet by 25 feet) n 5550 Gulf of Mexico Drive: Durante Park (25 feet by 25 feet) n 5810 Gulf of Mexico Drive: Binnacle Point Open Space property (75 feet by 25 feet for three Vista Switches) Phase three of the project goes from Country Club Shores to the county line.

Phase two continues from the northern tip of the island to Dream Island Road.

Phase one is the southernmost portion of the project.

The underground project is scheduled to finish by the end of 2022.

SURVEY ON THE WAY

On Monday, the town of Longboat Key began sending letters to residents with a unique code and link that allows them to take the third annual citizen satisfaction survey.

The deadline to fill out the online survey is Feb. 12.

The survey allows residents to provide the town feedback on specific quality-of-life issues. It also gives residents a chance to share their

opinions on services and priorities.

“I’m really trying to increase the number of survey responses,” Longboat Key Support Services Director Carolyn Brown said.

The town had 1,524 households respond to last year’s survey out of 8,320 invitations. In 2020, the town had 597 surveys completed after sending out 8,741 invitations.

Longboat Key has again hired the John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government at the University of South Florida to conduct the survey.

The Town Commission is expected to hear a final report about the 2022 survey in April.

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YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

FRIDAY, DEC. 31

A LOT OF WATER 7:32 p.m., 200 block of Sands Point Road Alarm: Police and fire personnel, responding to a fire alarm call, found water rushing down the outside of a residential building from the top floor. Fire-rescue teams turned off the flow and found a standpipe had broken in a stairwell on the fourth floor. Some units experienced water damage, and building maintenance was on hand to begin repairs. Florida Power and Light was also notified because of the proximity of the pipe to an electrical room. No injuries were reported.

NO FAN OF FIREWORKS 8:42 p.m., 500 block of Outrigger Lane Noise: A resident called police to complain about the nearby use of fireworks. The resident said the noise was disturbing her and frightening her pet. An officer told her state laws allowed the use of fireworks on New Year’s Eve and he had no authority to ask the neighbors to stop.

NOT FROM HERE 4:46 p.m., 2000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Animal: Police explained to a man from out of town that dogs are not allowed on the beach. Officers had received a complaint and found the man with his dog. The man said he did not know about the town rules.

POLAR DISCOVERY 5:05 p.m., 2500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen assist: A beachgoer called police to report the discovery of a 20-foot-long wooden pole in the surf. The police notified the town’s public works staff about the pole and alerted management of the vacation resort nearby.

A DISAPPEARING SMELL 9:10 p.m., 5000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen assist: A resident notified police and fire-rescue personnel that a smell of sewage had persisted in her home for about 20 minutes.

When police arrived, an officer encountered a fire-rescue team leaving the premises, saying no police service was needed. The officer later learned and reported that the resident said the smell had disappeared and asked fire-rescue personnel not to enter her home.

TIME WAS RUNNING OUT 11:11 p.m., 500 block of Schooner Lane Noise: The noise of fireworks prompted a resident to call police.

An officer told the resident that the neighbors, by law, had until midnight New Year’s to legally set off fireworks. The party that was lighting fireworks told the officer they would wrap it up in time.

SUNDAY, JAN. 2

MUSIC, NO MUSIC 2:39 p.m., 700 block of Lands End Drive Noise from the water: Police were sent to investigate a report of noise coming from boaters at a nearby sandbar. Officers observed the area from the caller’s dock but did not judge the music to be louder than allowable limits. The resident said it had been louder earlier.

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TOO LATE 12:02 a.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Noise complaint: Following a report of noise, police discovered a family leaving a public beach with a sack of spent fireworks. The officer told the parents the beach was closed and fireworks were no longer permitted. The parents apologized and said they were from California.

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

OPINION / OUR VIEW

LONGBOAT

Myths about improving roads Some may think building more roads only leads to more road usage. Logic points to the contrary.

ADRIAN MOORE AND STEVEN POLZIN

D

o you think improving and expanding roadways in the Sarasota region will improve things? Or make them worse? Do you think making it easier for more people to travel just causes, well, more people to travel, and soon congestion is just as bad as ever? If so, what is the point of improving Sarasota’s road network?

People often say that improving roads and adding capacity to allow more travel will lead to new and additional traffic and not improve anything. It’s “we can’t build our way out of congestion,” or “don’t build it and they won’t come.”

Transportation experts call this the principle of induced demand.

At its worst, “don’t build it and they won’t come” is like stopping school construction to solve classroom overcrowding. At its best, it is an often-observed reality that without road pricing to match supply and demand, sometimes not all of demand to use the roads can be met, which results in congestion. But while it is true in some narrow contexts, it is far more often misused as a one-size-fits-all justification for resisting roadway capacity expansion. Now, when the pandemic has changed travel behavior, some permanently, it’s time to reconsider this old saw.

Let’s imagine we made major improvements to Fruitville Road between the Interstate 75 and downtown, with synchronized signals and real-time active flow management systems as well as redesign and restriping to allow an additional reversible lane to expand capacity in the direction of the rush hour. But after a year or two of less congestion, more people are using the road and congestion comes back. Is that project a failure? Most opponents of road expansions would say yes because it did not solve congestion.

But there are five interpretations of what actually happened, and the truth could be a combination of any or all of them.

Growth is happening. One reason more people might be using

a new or improved road is increased population, employment, or activity in the area. From 2010 to 2020 Sarasota County’s population rose from 379,000 to 434,000, a 14.5% increase. There are simply more people trying to travel in the region.

Specifically, a better flowing major arterial might trigger development near that road rather than farther north or south, which might reduce sprawl and shorten commutes, but also might draw new congestion to the improved road.

People change travel routes. A new or improved road that provides more reliable or faster travel means some people will change their usual travel routes to take advantage of it. This isn’t new travel; it’s just redistributed thanks to better flow.

Indeed, some people may have been using narrow roads or neighborhood roads to avoid congestion but shift to using the improved arterial.

This is safer for everyone and means shorter or more reliable trips for those changing their routes.

People change travel times. A better and less-congested road will cause some people to change when they travel. An errand or appointment they might have postponed until mid-day to avoid congestion can now be done earlier or later thanks to the less-congested road.

This also isn’t new travel, and it has no effect on total travel but enables individuals and commercial vehicle drivers to travel on their preferred route at a better time. A parent may get home in time to eat with the family, attend a sporting event, or proctor homework. A delivery vehicle may be able to deliver products more quickly. These benefits improve the quality of life for everybody.

People change modes. Less congestion might cause some people to stop using the bus or carpooling and to drive instead, thanks to reduced congestion. This isn’t new travel, but it is new vehicles on the improved road. Sarasota County only about 1% use transit to get to work, but nearly 12% carpool, at least before the pandemic. Based on national data, working from home has likely cut those numbers substantially, and some of that will be permanent. So, there is not a lot of transit travel there to shift to driving alone when roads improve.

Moreover, supporting congestion to induce people to use transit or carpool is terribly ineffective and makes people’s lives less convenient. Transit use would have to increase 14 times just to absorb new travel from population growth, when in fact it is barely able to hold on the riders it has.

People travel more. Some fear

VEHICLE-MILES OF TRAVEL VS. VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED PER PERSON, NATIONALLY

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 President and Publisher / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com Executive Editor and COO / Kat Hughes, KHughes@YourObserver.com

Source: USDOT National Household Travel Survey

that reduced congestion due to road improvements will cause some people to travel who otherwise would not have, or to travel farther, perhaps living farther out of town or going farther to shop, than they would with higher congestion. This is indeed added travel, and since this can have some environmental impact, they might argue it is better to leave the roads be and let congestion constrict this potential additional travel. But if improving or adding a road causes people to travel farther to work or shop or enjoy recreation, that means before the road improvement they were settling for something worse, and that they get real benefits from more mobility. This has traditionally been a desirable outcome of better transportation created by new connections or new capacity.

A few other facts about travel to keep in mind. Nationally, we have not tested the hypothesis that we cannot build our way out of congestion, and for decades demand has grown despite roadway capacity per capita shrinking. Arguably, demand is being induced despite a lack of new capacity. However, in recent years vehicle-miles of travel per capita have not returned to the peak levels of 2004-2007 (See figure).

At the same time, rising telecommuting instead of work travel is likely to impact traffic inducement. The work-at-home share has grown from 2.3% in 1980 to 5.9% in 2019 and dramatically accelerated with the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in expectations that post-COVID work-at-home shares will be over 10% and increase as the share of information jobs in the economy increases. E-commerce, distance-learning, online business transactions, and telemedicine are also likely to grow.

Finally, a growing share of roadway travel (almost 30%) is not household-based person travel but commercial and service vehicle travel responding to business, government and household needs.

This includes police, fire, ambulance, mail, school buses, delivery vehicles, and the myriad of services we use — from lawn, insect, pool and repair services and service visits such as home health care, real estate agents and decorators. This travel doesn’t reduce when congestion rises, it just becomes more expensive and worse for customers or those calling for emergency services. Road improvements and better mobility help us in many ways besides our own travel.

It is transportation officials’ responsibility to vet and challenge proposed projects based on a full analysis of the impacts. Studying design options to improve transportation outcomes and reduce the effect on neighboring and broader communities is likewise a worthwhile endeavor. Accepting the myth that improving roads just induces more demand and congestion will soon return ignores the much more complicated realities of travel supply and demand, and the many and broad benefits of mobility improvements.

Adrian Moore is the vice president of Reason Foundation and lives in Sarasota, and Steven Polzin is a former transportation professor at the University of South Florida.

Managing Editor / Eric Garwood, EGarwood@YourObserver.com Staff Writers / Mark Bergin, MBergin@ YourObserver.com; Nat Kaemmerer, NKaemmerer@YourObserver.com Digital & Engagement Editor / Kaelyn Adix, KAdix@YourObserver.com Copy Editor / Shawn Candela, SCandela@YourObserver.com Editorial Designers / Melissa Leduc, MLeduc@YourObserver.com; José Valle, JValle@YourObserver.com A+E Editor / Spencer Fordin, SFordin@YourObserver.com Black Tie Editor / Harry Sayer, HSayer@YourObserver.com Director of Advertising / Jill Raleigh, JRaleigh@YourObserver.com Sales Manager / Penny Nowicki, PNowicki@YourObserver.com Digital Sales and Business Development Manager / Kathleen O’Hara, KOHara@YourObserver.com Senior Advertising Executive / Laura Ritter, LRitter@YourObserver.com Advertising Executives / Richeal Bair, RBair@YourObserver.com; Beth Jacobson, BJacobson@YourObserver.com; Jennifer Kane, JKane@YourObserver.com; Honesty Mantkowski, HMantkowski@YourObserver. com; Toni Perren, TPerren@YourObserver. com; Brenda White, BWhite@ YourObserver.com Classified Advertising Sales Executive / Audri Ferguson, AFerguson@ YourObserver.com Sales Operations Manager / Susan Leedom, SLeedom@YourObserver.com Sales Coordinator/Account Manager / Lori Downey, LDowney @YourObserver.com Advertising Assistant / Sam Johnson, SJohnson@YourObserver.com Digital Fulfillment Specialist / Emma Burke, EBurke@YourObserver.com Tributes Coordinator / Kristen Boothroyd, Tributes@YourObserver.com Director of Marketing / Robin Lankton, RLankton@YourObserver.com Marketing Coordinator / Samantha Dischinger, SDischinger@YourObserver.com Director of Creative Services / Caleb Stanton, CStanton@YourObserver.com Creative Services Administrator / Marjorie Holloway, MHolloway@ YourObserver.com Advertising Graphic Designers / Luis Trujillo, Louise Martin, Shawna Polana Digital Developer / Jason Camillo, JCamillo@YourObserver.com Director of Information Technology / Adam Quinlin, AQuinlin@YourObserver.com Chief Financial Officer / Laura Strickland, LStrickland@YourObserver.com Controller / Rafael Labrin, RLabrin@ YourObserver.com Office and Accounting Coordinator / Donna Condon, DCondon@ YourObserver.com

Legislative politics fells Siesta incorporation

T

o all those people who worked so earnestly on the Siesta Key incorporation efforts: Good

try.

An extra shout-out goes to Harry Anand, a Siesta Key resident, entrepreneur and former 12-year mayor of Laurel Hollow, N.Y. Anand volunteered to advise the incorporation proponents, ultimately leading the efforts that brought the idea closer to success than ever before.

But unfortunately, welcome to the world of Florida legislative politics.

A lot of times, it really stinks.

For decades we have watched how issues that seem logical, reasonable, rational and good nevertheless are often not the right ingredients for a bill to make it through the Legislature. It’s the politics that count.

It is a frustrating process, to be sure, and one that often doesn’t make sense.

In the wake of the local legislative delegation’s 3-3 vote last week rejecting bills that would allow for an incorporation referendum, many Siesta incorporation supporters asked how and why state representatives whose districts have no connection to Siesta Key can have a say in whether a bill affecting Siesta Key is filed?

Why, for instance, should Reps.

Will Robinson of Bradenton and Tommy Gregory of East Manatee County have a say in whether Rep. Fiona McFarland, who represents Siesta Key, files a bill dealing with her district?

On the surface, that doesn’t make sense. But it’s one of those longstanding, quirky rules of the Legislature.

There were other Tallahassee political realities at play as well.

Rare is the proposed legislation that is passed in the House and Senate and signed into law the first time it is proposed. That typically only happens when the legislation is a priority or has the strong backing of the governor, Senate president and/ or House speaker. Or when the proposed legislation is an emergency.

Fact is, if you want something passed into law, having leadership support is crucial.

Otherwise, expect to have a bill filed multiple years before it finally passes. And all through the process, the legislation needs persistent champions in the House and Senate and effective lobbying from the affected constituents.

Another unspoken rule of Tallahassee: If you want legislation passed, have the language written and key supporters signed on in the summer prior to the next session.

That’s when the deal-making is done.

Finally, as the Siesta incorporation supporters learned, the local delegation should be locked in for certain before the issue reaches a public vote.

Yes, being rejected hurts and sometimes stirs up anger. But for those Siesta residents who still believe incorporation is what’s best for Siesta Key’s future, consider this defeat a learning moment and part of what typically is a long process.

Indeed, if the incorporation supporters are still determined, Reps.

Gregory gave them the criteria necessary for the local delegation’s support: n Persuade the city of Sarasota to de-annex the northern tip of Siesta Key so the proposed town of Siesta Key would include the entire barrier island. That will always be a hard sell.

Cities rarely go along with giving up territory and property-tax revenue.

But you can see Gregory’s reasoning: future complications between the city of Sarasota and town of Siesta Key. n Conduct a non-binding referendum of Siesta Key voters using the exact language that would be posed to voters in a binding referendum.

The local legislative delegation wants convincing proof the majority of Siesta residents and voters

support incorporation.

Revise the budget. While incorporation supporters strongly defend their projections of the town government initially costing $3.6 million, or 0.24 mills, Gregory, Robinson and Rep. James Buchanan — the three who voted not to support legislation — are not convinced that rate is realistic.

All three of these criteria would require persistent efforts, with no guarantee the 2023 Legislature would support a binding referendum on incorporation. But that’s what it would take at least to get the matter up to Tallahassee.

There is another way, albeit one in which Siesta residents have little confidence: Put aside the arduous challenge of incorporation. Instead, emphatically and persistently convince Sarasota County commissioners that Siesta Key deserves better, and persuade commissioners to be more responsive to Siesta.

Three ways to assure that: a Siesta resident representing the island’s interests on the county commission; a Siesta resident on the planning commission; and constant, vocal vigilance on the part of Siesta residents.

It’s politics. n

— MW

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YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

“The Word for 2022: Courage” was an outstanding and inspiring editorial.

As new residents of Longboat Key we are delighted to see our local newspaper promoting individual rights and liberty, the principles on which our nation are founded.

Thank you for demonstrating the rationality, independence and courage to publish such an essay to provide hope in these troubled times.

ANDREW AND SHAWNA WEST LONGBOAT KEY

Individual liberty doesn’t trump general welfare

IN THE BAG: Rudy the cutie packing his bags for Longboat Key.

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For someone who continually refers to the Constitution, please pay close attention to the first word “We” and the words “a more perfect union,” “welfare,” and the “United States.”

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Yes, the word liberty can, and should, mean personal liberty.

However, I highly doubt the Founding Fathers would agree that personal liberties trump (no pun intended) the greater good of the People.

I continually find your editorials extremely divisive. To hell with The Union and the “United” States.

You applaud Gov. Ron DeSantis for promoting individual rights of The States and individuals. To hell with the general welfare of the People.

It is obvious and simple to agree with you that mask mandates and forced vaccinations of public employees are against individual rights. It does sound like Totalitarian rule. We get it and agree. However, we need to put this pandemic, and all of the freedoms

that it strips from us, behind us for good and the fastest way to do that is to all band together as Americans and do what science and medicine says we should do, united as a country, in common defense, to promote the general welfare of the people, by staying united and getting vaccinated.

9

MICHAEL FOLEY SARASOTA

Rest of the world also followed science I just wanted to point out why your article on Fauci/Robert Kennedy’s book irritated me.

First of all, you talk as if America did the complete opposite from the rest of the world! Do you really believe that Fauci had any influence at all on other civilized countries?

Do you think England, France, Germany, Spain, Scandinavia, Australia, etc. listened to him?

Most of those countries have never heard of him! Yet, those countries did listen to top scientists, doctors and virologists, etc. who did recommend the vaccines that we all took. But you choose to use India as an example for an alternative treatment.

Secondly, you are making this a political issue and it shouldn’t be. Again, only in America does something this serious become political. It’s ridiculous. There was no drama regarding the polio or smallpox vaccines or even the flu shots, so why make this political and please see the big picture (i.e., the rest of the civilized world).

They didn’t read this book or listen to Fauci.

I’ve never written to a newspaper before, but I do believe your article is just so wrong. It seems that the Pfizers of this world have actually saved millions of lives. We should be thankful.

JUNE FLUEGEL SARASOTA

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

LETTERS

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

Above left: Margaret Good and Ed Sabol Above right: Nikki Fried had posters announcing her gubernatorial run.

Photos by Nat Kaemmerer

Florida Agriculture Commissioner and candidate for governor Nikki Fried speaks to the club.

Democratic Club turns to 2022

T

he Longboat Key Democratic Club started 2022 focusing on the future.

Speakers Nikki Fried and Margaret Good discussed the importance of organizing for the year’s elections at the club’s Jan. 4 meeting.

More than 50 people were in attendance for lunch, and the club took time to recognize first-timers, who went around and introduced themselves. Reggie Bellamy, a Manatee County commissioner, was in attendance, too.

Fried, the state’s commissioner of agriculture and a candidate for her party’s nomination for governor, said Florida’s water is the lifeblood of the state, from homeowners to small businesses. Fighting red tide and protecting coastal areas are high on her list.

“People aren’t going to come here when they see red tide and the bad fish and the smells, and certainly agriculture needs water to produce food,’’ she said.

“But I also knew that it was going to be a balancing act between the environmental impacts of agriculture and trying to make sure that agriculture is still successful, so we’ve spent a lot of the last three years

trying to create that balance.”

Earlier this year, Fried’s department launched the Clean Water Initiative, in which department officials test properties rather than having properties self-report.

Violators get sent to the Department of Environmental Protection, and more than 6,600 cases have been sent there so far.

Fried spoke about the importance of organizing statewide to have more successful campaigns in the future.

“We need to organize like we have never organized before and empower the bottom of the tickets,” Fried said. “We need to empower our city and county commissioners and our local clubs and our caucuses because you are the ones who are doing the work on the ground. How do we expect to win if the core principals are not talking to each other?”

Margaret Good spoke after Fried and echoed the importance of organizing, especially in the local March elections regarding single-voter districts. Good now works with the Sarasota organization Build Local Power, which aims to register Democrats in the area.

Jim Somes, David Lapovsky and Giles van der Bogert

Above: Susan and Ken Newmark Left: Felice Schulaner and Lucie Lapovsky

—NAT KAEMMERER

The end of the year is a time to look back on the past while looking forward to the future. It’s a time of reflection, resolutions, and hope. It’s a time for family, friends, and your fellow citizens. As an organization, we can look back at our 50+ year history and see how we’ve grown from one small Club to six Club locations and four school sites across communities in both Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. We can look back and see that, through our biggest milestones and our greatest challenges, caring individuals like you were by our side.

So, as you make your resolution this year, we are making one, too.

The best way for us to achieve these resolutions as an organization, and as a community, is together.

We invite you to come tour any of our six facilities throughout Sarasota and DeSoto Counties.

Simply call 941-366-3911 to come and see for yourself the difference the Club makes in the lives of local children and teens.

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We resolve to make an even greater impact in the lives of local youth through the improvement of academic success, instilling healthy habits, and developing character and leadership for our younger Club members while also resolving to further help local teens develop their post-secondary plans with entrepreneurial, vocational and college & career readiness programming.

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

11

Over

Total Sales Volume 2021 We don’t take breaks, we break records.

Our best-in-class advisors have allowed us to shatter our previous record — up 50% year over year — confirming our position as the Florida Gulf Coast luxury leader.

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Sotheby’s International Realty® and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered service marks used with permission. Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

WILD FLORIDA An exploration beyond the pavement.

FAM I LY

Miri Hardy

During the Myakka River Christmas Bird Count, staff and visitors covered 152 square miles in 78 hours, with a resulting record of 125 bird species.

Myakka counts record bird species L

ate in December, before dawn, 38 bird aficionados arrived at Myakka River State Park, one of Florida’s oldest and largest state parks. Equipped with sharp eyes and ears, binoculars and scopes, they counted birds — 19,903 to be exact — during the Myakka River Christmas Bird Count.

The Christmas Bird Count is a community science project organized by the National Audubon Society. Held annually, it contributes to a database that highlights conservation action required to protect birds and the habitats they need to survive.

Like others, this count took place in a 15-mile-wide circle, within which all birds seen or heard were tallied — not only species but the number of individual birds, too.

But bird counts are not just about numbers. Tying a park record set in 2011, 125 bird species were spotted, including a first-time sighting of a whooping crane, one of the most endangered birds in North America.

And crested caracaras, an especially meaningful species for Myakka, also showed up to be counted. An important yet increasingly scarce yearlong resident of our Florida dry prairies, caracaras are habitat specialists, largely dependent on the open, treeless habitats of the dry prairie landscape, a globally imperiled ecosystem endemic to the state.

Myakka’s prairies were speciesrich prior to the 46 years of fire exclusion, which began in the mid1930s. To mitigate the damage done by fire exclusion, a focus of Myakka River State Park’s staff is the resto-

Family Owned.

Family Focused.

At Toale Brothers, we understand the value of family in planning for the future and honoring loved ones. That’s why we are still owned and

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

ration and maintenance of the park’s nearly 15,000 acres of Florida dry prairie, with prescribed fire being an important tool in this process.

During the years of fire exclusion, caracaras were not observed residing in the park. But thanks in part to the reintroduction of fire starting in the 1970s, they have returned to the park’s dry prairies.

In fact, crested caracara observations in and around the park have greatly increased over the past 13 years. And, as you can imagine, it was an absolute delight to be able to include five of them in our count when they were spotted, fittingly, foraging in the ashes of a recent prescribed fire.

—MIRI HARDY, SAVE OUR SEABIRDS

Friends of Myakka River exists to support Myakka River State Park and the Wild and Scenic Myakka River. Together, we’re protecting and sharing Myakka’s Magic, to the benefit of future generations and our own.

Reason to Give...

operated by the Toale family, who have provided support, guidance and helpful resources to the

To Give Them a Second Chance at Love.

people of our community during their time of need since 1948.

DONATE TODAY AT

OPEN BY APPOINTMENT 7 DAYS | 941-366-2404 2542 17th St., Sarasota, FL 34234 | www.catdepot.org

For three generations, we have remained

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CATDEPOT.ORG

focused on celebrating lives with compassion, respect and personal attention. Not because it is our legacy, but because we genuinely care.

Proud to be a part of Sarasota’s history.

Honored to be a part of your family’s

941.955.4171 www.ToaleBrothers.com

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celebration of life.

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13

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

TRIBUTES

Sidney Katz was born in a cold-water tenement flat on the Lower East Side of Manhattan on May 27, 1917. He had a front row seat to the 20th-Century and loved to regale his family with stories from his childhood.

His parents emigrated, separately, as teenagers, from Galicia (current day Poland) to Ellis Island in 1900 and eventually opened a neighborhood grocery, creating a new life for themselves as shopkeepers, at a time when their supplies were delivered by horsedrawn wagons. They had three sons: Al, Mack, and Sidney (the youngest), each of whom worked in the store to support the family. Sidney held multiple jobs before graduating from high school at the age of 16, including working at a printing press, as a movie theater usher, and carrying ice blocks up tenement stairs for refrigeration.

After graduating from high school, Sidney attended New York University for two years. While he dreamed of attending medical school, anti-semitism prohibited him from getting a coveted spot in the United States. As a result, he attended medical school at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was the first time in his life that he could focus on school without working.

He described this time as one of the happiest periods of his life.

Sidney completed his medical training by the age of 23. While awaiting space on a ship back to the US, he worked at a hospital in a region of southern England which was repeatedly strafed by the Nazis. He eventually obtained a berth on a ship across the Atlantic and narrowly escaped from Europe in 1940. He gave his medical diploma as security for the cost of his passage, promising that a friend from medical school would later pay to retrieve it.

Back in the United States, Sidney met Shirley Berglass, the daughter of a neighborhood jeweler on the Lower East Side. They fell in love and were married on June 29th, 1941. Sidney was drafted into the Army and served at a Veterans

Administration Hospital in California. It was during those years that Sidney came to love the beauty of California, and often wondered out loud, “Why wouldn’t everyone move there?”

Despite Sidney’s fondness for the West Coast, he and Shirley decided they needed to return to the Bronx to complete his military service and be near family, as they started their own. Sidney and Shirley had three children and raised them in North Bergen and then Englewood in northern New Jersey.

Sidney became the President of the Medical Staff at North Hudson Hospital in Weehawken, NJ. It was during that time that Sidney’s moxie and surgical expertise enabled him to build a successful general surgery practice. He loved to live large, and as soon as Sidney

Sidney Katz led with a sense of humor, joy and generosity, and he never hesitated to celebrate the daily pleasures that come with inhabiting this earth.

had the financial means, he took the whole family to Europe on a six-week long trip to visit many of his old haunts from his time in medical school.

Sidney came to love the opera – which he heard for the first time at a Met concert, offered free to servicemen, at Lewiston Stadium.

He could sing every word of La Boheme and large portions of many other operas.

He marveled at how he had grown up without having heard a single note of music in his home, and then had the opportunity to listen to many of the greatest singers and orchestras in the world, in major opera houses.

Sidney also loved being a surgeon, but he knew it was time to retire after practicing for over 35 years. He and Shirley moved to Longboat Key, Florida in 1977, when it was a sleepy island full of pelicans. Over the 30 years they lived on LBK,

Sidney and Shirley saw the island transform itself into a bustling location frequented by sun-starved vacationers.

They lived at the Islander Club and then at The Pierre.

After 65 years of marriage, Shirley passed away in 2006. Sidney found himself adrift for the first time in his life. He attributed the love from his family and his tennis friends as getting him through his acute loss of Shirley. A wonderful gift came when he met Elaine Keating in 2007. She became his companion and love for the rest of his life. Together, they regularly attended classical music concerts, the opera, the ballet, and the theater. Sidney continued to play tennis well into his 100th year of life and to swim laps and workout until his last days. He remained fascinated by the world around him, reading voraciously, listening to music, and watching Lincoln

Center opera remotely.

Despite the challenges caused by Covid, Sidney and Elaine always managed to find joy. He reveled in his extended family: his three children and their partners– Alan and Sissel, Mark and Cheryl, and Jane and John; seven grandchildren and their partners –Ingrid and Alexi, Tony and Emily, Danny and Serena, Peter and Lauren, Jon and Lori, Hazel and Ricky, and Lauren; and five great grandchildren –Tomas, Augie, Esther, Frances, and Fiona.

Sidney Katz led with a sense of humor, joy and generosity, and he never hesitated to celebrate the daily pleasures that come with inhabiting this earth. He relished every family milestone and never hesitated to express his love to all around him. Sidney closed his eyes for the final time on Sunday, December 12th at the age of 104, still in amazement at all he was continuing to learn.

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Sidney Katz 1917-2021

LONGBOAT KEY DELAYED VIDEO SERIES

HAIR • NAILS • SPA

Temple Beth Israel

Music Mondays, Monday at 7:30 and Global Issues III, Thursday at 7:30

Tickets at the Door Only $10

Cash or Check Only

SARASOTA INSTITUTE OF LIFETIME LEARNING

A Lifetime of Learning in Two Exciting Series Lonboat Key, Sarasota, Venice, and Lakewood Ranch

Each Series Only $85 Order tickets and complete program details:

sillsarasota.org

This Week’s Programs Include:

Music Mondays

MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS WITH GREAT PERFORMERS

Monday, January 17

Sarasota,10:30 am - Venice, 3:00 pm Longboat Key, (Video Delay January 24, 7:30) Monday, January 24 7:30 PM Temple Beth Isreal

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

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

Jonathan Godfrey, Guitar

Jonathan Godfrey’s diverse career in all mediums of music has made him one of the most in-demand concert artists, session musicians, composers, and arrangers on Florida’s Suncoast. He currently serves on the faculty of the State College of Florida and Saint Leo University.

Global Issues

AN INSIDER’S VIEW OF TODAY’S WORLD

Tuesday, January 18

Stop in or book your appointment with their talented staff today!

Sarasota,10:30 am - Venice, 2:30 pm

Pandemics: From “What If” to “What Now”?

Dr. John Sinnott, Medical/Science Expert

will explain that the threat of a pandemic dramatically increased over the past three decades, review what went wrong and where we go from here.

Wednesday, January 19 Sarasota,10:30 am Biological Weapons: The Unseen Casts a Shadow Dr. John Sinnott

will explore how a bioweapons attack might happen and how to prevent it.

Thursday, January 20

Longboat Key (Video Delay January 27, 7:30) Sarasota,10:30 am and Lakewood Ranch, 3:30

Thurday, January 27 7:30 PM Temple Beth Isreal

6 N Blvd of the Presidents St Armand’s Circle • Above Columbia

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941-388-2176

Friday, January 21 Venice,10:00 am Making Peace in the Middle East

Brian Hook, Veteran Diplomat, who was on the negotiating team under the Trump administration that brokered the 2020 Abraham Accords peace agreement with Isreal, will explain the significance of the Accords and the foreign policy required to promote peace in the Middle East.

Check our website for Safety Protocols

14

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

TRIBUTES Gregory James LaPensee 1981-2021

Alfred B. Gates 1926-2021 Alfred B. Gates (Bud), 95, of Manchester, NH died December 22, 2021, at his residence with his children by his side, after a brief illness.

Gregory James LaPensee, 39, of Bradenton, Florida, passed away December 14, 2021. Greg was born on December 17, 1981 and was a true Manatee County native.

He fought a long, hard battle for months but spent his final days in the comfort of family and friends. Greg grew up on beautiful Anna Maria Island. He graduated from Manatee High School in 2000 and immediately went to work in the family business, LaPensee Plumbing, Inc. He took pride in his work, becoming an owner and growing his passion and reputation throughout the area. Greg had big dreams and his determination and work ethic led to expanding the business to where it is today. In 2010, Greg married the love of his life, Carlee and together they created a beautiful home and a loving family. In 2012, they welcomed a son, Preston and completed their family in 2015 when they welcomed another son, Chandler.

Fatherhood suited Greg, he was a family man and loved coaching his sons’ youth sports teams. Spending quality time with family and friends was paramount to Greg, it is when he was happiest. He put others first, always striving to make everyone else happy and have a good time. Greg is survived by his wife, Carlee LaPens-

ee; sons, Preston LaPensee and Chandler LaPensee; his parents, J. Michael LaPensee and J. Karen LaPensee; sisters, Michele Crouthamel (Jereme) and Shawn Shields (Logan); brother, Michael J. LaPensee and many nieces and nephews. He touched so many people’s lives throughout the community and will forever be missed.

Greg’s life would seem too short to many, but those who knew him understood that the quality of existence far exceeds the quantity of time in which one lives.

His laughter, wit and larger than life presence brought so much joy to anyone who was lucky to spend time with him. A Celebration of Life was held at 2:00PM, Sunday, January 2, 2022 at The Center of Anna Maria Island, located at 407 Magnolia Ave, Anna Maria, FL 34216. Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd Street Chapel is in charge of

He was born in Boston, MA on September 13, 1926, to Jerome and Agnes (McBride) Gates. He lived in White Plains, NY for most of his life and had lived in Manchester for the past eight years. He graduated from White Plains High School in 1944. As captain of the high school cross-country team, he ran a 4:36 mile.

From 1944 to 1946 Bud served in the U.S. Navy. After attending quartermaster school, he served on the USS Rombach DE 364 and was stationed in the Philippines and Okinawa.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Colby College in 1950 and was a member of the football and track teams, the DU Fraternity, and was editor of the yearbook.

Bud worked at B. Altman & Co. in New York City from 1951 to 1987 and retired as the General Merchandise Manager. While there, he served on the executive committee and the board of directors. In retirement, he was a consultant for Woolrich and Brooks Brothers, among others.

Bud was an avid sports fan, especially of the Red Sox and Patriots. He enjoyed hiking, gardening, civil war history, genealogy, and road trips to historic places in

Spending quality time with family and friends was paramount to Greg, it is when he was happiest. the arrangements. In lieu of flowers the family is asking that donations be made to The Center of Anna Maria Island http://weblink.donorperfect.com/In-Memory-of-Greg-LaPensee.

Condolences may be made to www.brownandsonsfuneral.com.

DONATIONS: In lieu of flowers the family is asking that donations be made to The Center of Anna Maria Island http://weblink. donorperfect.com/InMemory-of-Greg-LaPensee.

New England and Canada.

He vacationed at Little Gull Cottages, Longboat Key, FL, and spent summers on Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith, NH. Family and friends were most important to him.

He was predeceased by his wife of 70 years, Mary (Bauman) Gates in 2018 and two siblings, Jane Irwin and Geneva Gates Foote.

Bud is survived by seven children, Linda Gates Bates of Wilmette, IL, Jerome Gates and his wife, Lorry, of Moultonborough, NH, Brenda Gallagher and her husband, Dr. John Gallagher, of Lyme, NH, Leslie Gates (Ransom) of Meredith, NH, Roy Gates and his wife, Ale, of Mesa, AZ, Dr. Alfred Gates and his wife, Kathy, of Moodus, CT, and Mary Szyman and her husband, Robert, of St. Charles, IL; 13 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

SERVICES: A memorial service will be held in 2022.

As captain of the high school crosscountry team, he ran a 4:36 mile.

Donations may be made in memory of Alfred and Mary Gates to the Visiting Nurse Association of Manchester & Southern New Hampshire, 1070 Holt Avenue, Suite 1400, Manchester, NH 03109 or at www.manchestervna.org.

Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, Manchester, NH is assisting the family with arrangements. To leave a message of condolence, see the obituary at www.lambertfuneralhome.com

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Save the Date!

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COMING SOON!

You’re Invited to an

Open House

Adult Day Services

THE WINDEMERE West of Trail Showcase Home with Leaseback

Sarasota Wednesday, January 26, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Venice Wednesday, February 2, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Friendship and fun Sharpened cognitive skills Reduced frustration

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CUSTOM HOMES

LEGACY COLLECTION

ESTATE & WATERFRONT HOMES

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Feeling safe and valued Brain fitness activities Elevated emotional well-being

EXPERIENCED • COMPASSIONATE • AFFORDABLE Our fully licensed (AHCA) and dementia trained adult day center has provided experienced, compassionate care since 1980. We offer more than 150 combined years of caregiving experience.

Refreshments will be provided.

Legendary Luxury. Innovative Design.

Please RSVP by Jan.24 (Sarasota)

by Jan. 31 (Venice)

Complementing Heritage Builders’ unparalleled reputation for refined luxury homes and white-glove customer service is a stunning collection of innovative custom home designs. Homes by Heritage Builders ref lect cutting edge design trends, while maintaining an eye for timeless architectural styling, unprecedented livability and f lawless quality.

Please contact us today to learn about our available new homes, portfolio of plans and custom home design-build services.

Call (941) 556-3253

or email Robi Leach at RLeach@friendshipcenters.org

Can’t join us? Take a virtual tour at friendshipcenters.org/virtual-tour

Custom Homes | West of Trail Homes Available | Waterfront Residences

Visit us at HeritageBuildersWFL.com or call (941) 328-8272

All designs are the property of Heritage Builders of West Florida, LLC. CBC1259307 Plans, pricing and specifications subject to change without notice. Renderings are artist’s conception and not intended to show specific detailing. Square footages are estimated and may vary in actual construction.

1820 Brother Geenen Way • Sarasota, FL 34236 2350 Scenic Drive • Venice, FL 34293

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www.friendshipcenters.org

HB Realty Group, Inc. | Licensed Real Estate Broker

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• • •

1550 South Orange Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34239 4,189 Sq. Ft. | 4 Bed | 5+1/2 Bath | 3 Car Garage Study | Media | Guest Lounge | Upper Balcony Spacious Outdoor Living | Pool and Spa Available on Your Lot from the Mid-$1 Millions

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

15

St. Armands home sets 2021 neighborhood record Waterfront home offers 11,200 square feet of Mediterranean-design luxury.

ERIC GARWOOD MANAGING EDITOR

Eric Garwood

Homes are averaging seven to nine days on the market before going to contract, according to local sales figures.

Manatee, Sarasota home prices still climbing ERIC GARWOOD MANAGING EDITOR

Although the calendar has flipped to a new year, a local real estate expert says he has no reason to believe the beginning of 2022 will look different than 2021.

That is to say, the connection of short supply, high demand and rising median prices region wide shows no signs of slowing down.

“It’s not surprising that our market is now priced higher than it’s ever been before,” said Alex Krumm, the 2021 president of the Real Estate Association of Sarasota and Manate in a news release. “New listings that come to market are being sold in a matter of hours, and there are far more buyers than there are homes to sell them. I expect we’ll continue to see higher prices next year.”

December figures are expected to be released on Jan. 20, but November numbers continued as they have for most of the previous year.

November 2021 data indicates the highest recorded prices in both counties for both property types.

The single-family median price in Manatee County increased by 28.5% to $450,411. In Sarasota County, the single-family median price increased by 19.9% to $419,225.

Condo prices increased by 28.6% to a median of $349,900 in Sarasota

and by 26.4% to $300,000 in Manatee.

In November, the Sarasota, Bradenton North Port area’s regional median price for single-family homes rose to $432,625, third highest of the state’s 22 metro areas. The year-to-date median price, which stands at $400,000, likewise is third highest — a 21% increase since 2020, according to statewide figures collected by Florida Realtors. Condominium median prices for the region in November stood at $325,000 — fourth in the state.

At the end of November, the inventory of all active listings in the two counties decreased by 59.4% to 1,654 listings. The supply of inventory is at 0.7 months for single-family homes, a 61.1% decrease in Sarasota and a 56.3% decrease in Manatee. Condo supplies are comparable.

The median time from listing date to contract date hovers around one week in the two counties. The median time to contract for all property types in the North Port-SarasotaBradenton MSA was seven days in November, while the median time from listing date to sale date was 48 days.

Reflective of the most recent figures, eight of the nation’s hottest 10 real estate markets (as defined by speed of sales) are in Florida. Six of those are in Sarasota County (South Sarasota County, East Venice, Englewood, Venice, Nokomis and The Meadows).

“High season for home sales is upon us. Expect a very busy winter and spring,” Krumm said.

NOVEMBER STATS SARASOTA COUNTY Single-family homes (Changes are year over year) 833 closed sales (-2%) $419,225 median price (+19.9%) 7 average days to contract (-53.3%) 0.7 months of inventory (-61.1%) Condominiums 351 closed sales (-16.8%) $349,900 median price (+28.6%) 7 average days to contract (-80%) 0.7 months of inventory (-79.3%) MANATEE COUNTY Single-family homes (Changes are year over year) 699 closed sales (-2.5%) $450,411 median price (+28.5%) 6 average days to contract (-68.4%) 0.7 months of inventory (-56.3%)

Courtesy photos

Above: The property offers 300 feet of canalfront.

Left: The home is located at 171 S. Washington Drive on St. Armands Key.

Condominiums 258 closed sales (-22.3%) $300,000 median price (+26.4%) 9 average days to contract (-73.5%) 0.6 months of inventory (-73.9%)

5 Ways to Worship at All Angels

St. Armands Key

All Angels Episcopal Church | 563 Bay Isles Rd

LUTHERAN CHURCH

• Indoor worship service this Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

JOIN US WORSHIP

Saturday at 5pm | Sunday at 9 & 11am or worship with us online at saklc.com/live or via Facebook

• Live-stream - go to AllAngelsLBK.org to watch on-line • Zoom service - join meeting number 595-570-1807

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• Drive-in Church - tune your car radio to 107.5

941-383-8161 • www.AllAngelsLBK.org

St. Armands Key Lutheran Church • 40 North Adams Dr., Sarasota, FL • 941.388.1234 • Questions? Contact: michael@saklc.com

St. Mary, Star of the Sea,

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Dedication of our Church Home

Growing in Jesus’ Name

UPCOMING EVENTS: Bella Notte Dinner Concert Jan 22 at 6pm The Kings Brass Thursday Jan 27 at 6pm

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• Walk-up Church - listen to the service outside

Catholic Church

Worship With Us at Our Church Sunday Service 10:00 AM The Rev. Dr. Norman Pritchard

Would like to Welcome & Invite You, Your Family Members & Friends to Celebrate Mass with Our Parish Community

Masks Are Optional

Visitors & Residents Welcome

6400 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

•

941.383.8833 (office)

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An Ecumenical Church that Welcomes all People Founded in 1956

•

www.christchurchlbk.org

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

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

Follow us on Facebook • www.longboatislandchapel.org

The Lord’s Warehouse is OPEN Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 9am -1pm.

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www.bit.ly/cclbksermons or www.christchurchlbk.org (follow YouTube link)

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Watch Our 10:00 AM Service Live:

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

WINTER MASS SCHEDULE Saturday: 3:00 PM & 5:00 PM Sunday: 8:00, 9:30 & 11:30 AM Daily Mass at 9:00 AM- Monday through Friday Confessions after daily Mass or by appointment

Rev. Robert Dziedziak, Pastor

Temple Beth Israel

The Center of Jewish Living on Longboat Key

Please join us for Friday Evening Shabbat Services at 7:30pm each week in our Sanctuary, and morning Shabbat service & Torah Study at 10:00 am every Saturday.

Check our website for more information on upcoming events & programs, including the NEW Education Center at TBI offerings!

If you’d like to join our mailing list, send an email to office@tbi-lbk.org to stay up to date!

Due to the rise of Covid cases in our area, we will require masks & encourage social distancing until further notice.

941.383.3428 | www.tbi-lbk.org

RABBI STEPHEN L. SNIDERMAN, D.D.

567 Bay Isles Road • Longboat Key, FL

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Region’s median sales price for homes is third in Florida, behind Fort Lauderdale, Miami area and Naples.

Just three days before the new year, the sale of a waterfront home on South Washington Drive on St. Armands Key closed for $10.06 million, making it the highest price of year in the neighborhood.

Bruce Myer, a global luxury specialist with Coldwell Banker Realty’s Longboat Key office, represented the seller. Alex Smith Frady of Compass Florida represented the buyer. The price was the highest of 2021 on Lido Key, St. Armands Key and Lido

Shores.

“I feel honored to have represented my client in the record sale of this rare and exceptional residence on St. Armands,” Myer said. “Its elegance, history and waterfront access make this an unparalleled opportunity in a highly sought-after location.”

The home features four bedrooms, four full baths along with three half baths and 11,200 square feet of living space.

The wine vault has a 2,000-bottle capacity. Designed in a Mediterranean style, the home also features a guest residence, game room and home theater.

The canal-front lot offers 300 feet of wraparound water views.

According to public records, the home was purchased by William H. Miller IV and Rebecca A. Miller of Ruston, Maryland. The property last was sold in 2007 for $7.4 million.

Classifieds 28 Games 27 Real Estate 25 Weather 27

JANUARY 13, 2022

YOUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NEWCOMERS GO THE SPOILS HOW IT STARTED The Observer Challenge, sponsored by the Longboat Observer, began in 2000 after CEO Matt Walsh penned an editorial that took a stand against the concept of the Longboat Key Public Tennis Center. Once the center was built, Walsh wanted to extend an olive branch to the island’s myriad players. Thus the Observer Challenge was born, and those who play every year say it’s one of the toughest and most fun on the island. It’s been played every year except 2021.

NOT JUST TENNIS The sport is social enough without a planned pre-event party, but you can’t have friendly competition without “friendly.” See Page 18.

WINNERS DIVISION 1 Champions: Stacey Allerton, Marc Pommainville, Randy Gibson and Rebecca Gibson Finalists: Enrique Vela, Ute Vela, Mitzi Lamy and Kevin Lamy

First-time winners take their place among champs at the Observer Challenge tennis tournament.

NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

R

ebecca and Randy Gibson were newcomers to the Observer Challenge, but that didn’t stop them from tearing it up in Division 1 during the championship Jan. 9. Rebecca Gibson took all the marbles in a set that went to a 5-5 deuce, while Randy Gibson went four games in a set during his singles match without losing a point. Their friends, tournament veterans Stacey Allerton and Marc Pommainville, asked them to join their team for the tournament, which ran from Jan. 7-9.

“We weren’t dummies; we knew who to ask,” Allerton said.

Rebecca Gibson said the talent in the division was equal and competitive; the men’s doubles match lasted far longer than the women’s doubles played at the same time.

The team played Enrique Vela, Ute Vela, Mitzi Lamy and Kevin Lamy for the win. After a weekend spent at the Longboat Key Tennis Center, the Gibsons agreed: They’re committed now. They’ll be back for more camaraderie and more competition.

“All it takes is a couple points,” Randy Gibson said. “We had a couple close games that we ended up winning.”

Similarly, in Division 3, which was played as a round robin, a group of newcomers won the championship.

Joe Malave, Melissa Stanely, Jennifer Herke and Nelson Cabrera also pulled out some tough wins after trailing.

Cabrera won his singles match after being down 4-1 — after playing a men’s doubles match that went to 6-4.

They played a lot of tennis but outlasted the competition.

“This team came together last minute,” Herke said. “We met at the party (on Jan. 6).”

The 2022 tournament, the 21st edition of the Observer Challenge after the tennis center took a year off in 2021 due to the pandemic, was one of the smallest draws ever.

There were just three divisions, and tennis center Director Kay Thayer said the lower turnout might have had something to do with COVID-19. However, those who played were happy to be there.

“We had really good quality teams; there just weren’t as many in it this year,” Thayer said.

Still, many people turned up to watch the championship on Jan. 9, including many who had played in the tournament in the past.

Jim Purcell and Milan Adrian, who play regularly at the tennis center and have played in the Observer Challenge multiple times, came by to cheer on their friends in Division 2 but stayed for much of the morning’s events. They positioned themselves between the courts to easily take it all in.

Division 2 wrapped up things quickly, as the team of victors — repeat Observer Challenge players Bob Dreyfus, MJ Waite, Rhonda Snow and Andy Geller — swept all five matches in their final. After proper congratulations and “good games” were completed, they settled in to watch the last bit of Division 1.

Dreyfus has played in the Observer Challenge nearly annually and has picked up a thing or two about the tournament’s format, which has men and women play doubles, followed by mixed doubles and men’s and women’s singles.

“The key to the Observer Challenge is good women,” Dreyfus said.

“The male players are incidental.

Sometimes you split it, and it comes down to mixed doubles, but it’s usually all about the women. I’ve seen it year after year.”

Photos by Nat Kaemmerer

Zo Sandoval lines up for a point.

DIVISION 2 Champions: Bob Dreyfus, MJ Waite, Rhonda Snow and Andy Geller Finalists: Erin Neufelder, Linda Gillott, Trevor Gillott and Ken Coates

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DIVISION 3 Champions: Joe Malave, Melissa Stanely, Jennifer Herke and Nelson Cabrera Finalists: Peggy Lavallee, Cathy Tomass, Paul Jaffee and Greg Lavallee

Above: Dustin Keith and Dave Barcomb discuss before a point in the Division 1 consolation round. Left: Rebecca Gibson plays a point during the Division 1 final.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

Observer Challenge serves up an ace of a party

Above: Attendees snack on food from Harry’s Continental Kitchens. Right: Trevor Gillott (left) compares play time with Cathy and Paul Tomass.

T

Grace Hackett and Kay Thayer

Photos by Nat Kaemmerer

Above: Stacey Allerton, Mark Allerton and Rebecca Gibson Left: Zo Sandoval and Nelson Cabrera

o get a friendly competition going, you first must tend to the “friendly” part.

That’s what the organizers of the Observer Challenge aimed to do at the tournament’s annual opening cocktail party Jan. 6 at the Longboat Key Public Tennis Center.

Attendees roamed the grounds of the tennis center, catching up with friends and meeting new ones over drinks and snacks. The biggest purpose of the party was for players to find out when they’d be playing over the weekend.

Partway through the party, tennis center Director Kay Thayer welcomed attendees to the weekend ahead and explained the format of the tournament.

Each division started with doubles, then moved into men’s and women’s singles and mixed doubles, so teams had to think strategically about who was strongest where.

The group playing in the tournament this year was smaller than most, but Thayer thanked all the players for coming out.

“This has always been a popular tournament,” Thayer said. “It’s maybe our toughest but our most fun.”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

Kiwanis Club hears from Longboat Key Foundation Chair of the Longboat Key Foundation explains his organization’s origins, work.

NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

T

Nat Kaemmerer

Svetlana Ivashchenko, Michael Garey, Jim Larson, Lynn Larson and Bob Gault welcome Lawn Party raffle grand prize winner Monica Verinder (holding a check).

The director suggested to Brown that he start a similar community foundation on the Key. Brown went to Dave Brenner, another late icon of Longboat Key, and the pair began the foundation.

Now the foundation’s eyes are on the future, specifically on Town Center Green.

Before the Karon family stepped up and donated up to $500,000 for the stage, the foundation had raised its own money for the project.

Brown said the foundation and its funds will be involved in much that goes on there, from a potential county library site to an arts and cultural center to potential shade structures for the sunny area.

Nothing is finalized, but the foun-

“We’re fortunate that people come to us, without us even asking, when we raise money.”

— Jim Brown

dation will be there. And there will even still be room for Kiwanis to host the Lawn Party, of course.

“We’re fortunate that people come to us, without us even asking, when we raise money,” Brown said. “When the people gave us the $500,000 recently, since then, I’ve had additional (money) given, and it was for

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She bought five raffle tickets at the Lawn Party gate on the day of the event.

“It was a great day, and I was not paying attention (during the raffle),” Verinder said. “I was talking to another Realtor friend of mine at the table, and my husband heard them trying to say my hard-to-pronounce name. He said, ‘I think they’re calling you,’ and I was just talking away.”

Verinder’s prize was $22,500, about $2,500 less than the original estimate at the Lawn Party, due to some missing raffle tickets that threw off the calculation.

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that purpose for the stage. When I told them we already had the money for the stage, they said, ‘Well, just put it into the other facilities.’”

As for other Kiwanis matters, the final tally from the Salvation Army bell ringing will come within the next week. Last year, Longboat Key’s efforts were outpaced by the St. Armands Circle bell ringers, but the two vie for the area’s top spot annually.

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he Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key started 2022 with the assurance that although the Town Center Green will undergo many changes in the near future, the Lawn Party will have a home there.

At the Jan. 6 meeting, the club heard from Longboat Key Foundation Chair Jim Brown about the history and future of the organization, which figures to be involved in the development of Town Center Green.

The foundation started in 2009 but gained status as a 501(c)(3) in late 2019.

“The only purpose of the foundation is to raise funds for improving Longboat Key,” Brown said.

“We started a medical center; even though that didn’t work out the first time, residents of Longboat Key are extremely generous. In many cases, we haven’t even had to ask.”

Brown, a former mayor and town commissioner, was part of the foundation’s founding group. It was started to appreciate Hal Lenobel, who served on the commission for more than 13 years and was considered by many to be the unofficial ambassador of Longboat Key. Brown got several people together to organize a golf outing and dinner, and they raised money for the Key in Lenobel’s name.

“It became pretty elaborate,” Brown said. “All of a sudden one night I woke up and said, ‘I don’t know anything about how you put together a charity.’ I wanted to make sure we didn’t screw it up. So I asked a couple of people, and they suggested I go to the Sarasota County Community Foundation, and they very generously offered us all the financial and legal and all the other advice we needed to know.”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

THURSDAY, JAN. 13

BEST BET

THE CREATION OF ‘WEST SIDE STORY’ From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, learn the backstory of the musical with theater historian Charles Troy. $15 for members, $20 for others. Call 383-8222 or email EducationCenter@TBI-LBK.org to register.

FRIDAY, JAN. 14

THE MARKET ON LONGBOAT KEY From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road, visit the first Market on Longboat Key. There will be 66 vendors and three food trucks, including The Maine Lane, which serves lobster rolls and clam chowder.

FRIDAY, JAN. 14

THE HISTORY OF JERUSALEM FROM A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Zoom and at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, with Rachel Zohar Dulin, Ph.D. Three sessions weekly. $60 for members and $70 for others.

Call 383-8222 or email EducationCenter@TBI-LBK.org to register.

SATURDAY, JAN. 22

SAVOR THE SOUNDS At 5:30 p.m., enjoy the first in a concert series from the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce at Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road. Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones will play. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door, or $250 for a VIP table of eight.

Tickets are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at the Longboat Key Chamber office, 5390 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Suite 102 and at The Centre Shops on Longboat Key. For information, call 383-2466.

TUESDAY, JAN. 18

AMERICA’S WORST PRESIDENTS From 3-4:30 p.m. on Zoom and at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road with Mark Weston, author of “Bad President Before.” $15 for members, $20 for others. Call 383-8222 or email EducationCenter@TBILBK.org to register.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 19

JEWISH INFLUENCES ON WORLD CUISINE From 3-4:30 p.m. on Zoom and at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road with Lael Hazan. The second session is Jan. 26. $40 for members, $45 for others. Call 383-8222 or email EducationCenter@TBI-LBK. org to register.

THURSDAY, JAN. 20

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SARASOTA JEWISH THEATER From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Zoom and at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, with actor Carolyn Michel and theater educator Carole Kleinberg. $15 for members, $20 for others. Call 383-8222 or email EducationCenter@TBI-LBK.org to register.

From 1-2 p.m. on Zoom with the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel with Melissa Kotler Schwartz. This course helps students organize their life stories.

Eight sessions began Jan. 10 but can be prorated for four sessions. $145 for members and $155 for others. Call 383-8222 or email EducationCenter@TBI-LBK.org to register.

FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR DOG From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Zoom and at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, with “All About Dogs” columnist Gregg Flowers. Learn how to love your dog with healthy habits, leadership, and motivation to be a happy member of the family. Two sessions. $40 for members and $45 for others.

FRIDAY, JAN. 21

MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

RECURRING EVENTS MONDAYS

GUIDED AUTOBIOGRAPHY

is $10 for members and $15 for others. Visit LongboatKey.org for information.

PUMPING THE PRIME WITH MIRABAI HOLLAND At 10 a.m. at the Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 GMD. Bring a mat. Classes are outside.

Class is $10 for members and $15 for others. For information email Mirabai Holland at mirabai@movingfree.com or call 201-956-1466

WEDNESDAYS

TUESDAYS Courtesy photo

HOLLYWOOD ICONS THROUGH THE DECADES (1920-1959) From 1-4 p.m. on Zoom and inperson at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, with film critic Gus Mollasis. View movies followed by discussion. Available on a prorated basis. $75 for members and $85 for others. Call 383-8222 or email EducationCenter@TBI-LBK.org to register.

EDDIE CANTOR AND AL JOLSON From noon to 1:30 p.m. on Zoom and at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, with Susan Benjamin, musical biographer. Enjoy stories of Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor’s lives intertwined with examples of some of their performances. The second session is Jan. 28. $40 for members, $45 for others. Call 383-8222 or email EducationCenter@TBILBK.org to register.

lifting technique. Class is $10 for members and $15 for others. Visit LongboatKey.org for information.

LONGBOAT LIBRARY The Longboat Library is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays at 555 Bay Isles Road. There will also be a half-price sale on the library’s collection of used books every Wednesday. Call 383-2011 for information.

MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY

MUSCLES AND MORE WITH ANN ALVIS From 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 GMD, use strength equipment to build flexibility, endurance and balance. Focus of class is on proper

QI GONG From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Qi Gong is a mind-body-spirit practice designed to improve health.

Class is outdoors, weather permitting. Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

HULA From 11 a.m. to noon at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road.

Debby White instructs. Cost is $10.

Call 383-6493.

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

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

TUESDAYS AND THURSDAY

PILATES SCULPT WITH DEBBY DEBILE From 9-10 a.m. at the Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 GMD, use Pilates moves in an upbeat workout designed to make you sweat. This class builds flexibility. Class is $10 for members and $15 for others. Visit LongboatKey.org for information.

FEEL GOOD YOGA WITH DEBBY DEBILE From 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 GMD. Suitable for all levels. Class

TAI CHI From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Class is outdoors, weather permitting.

Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

GRIEVE NOT ALONE At 2 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. This new peer -support group will bring together people who have experienced loss.

Refreshments are served. RSVP by calling 383-6493.

THURSDAYS

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

ST. ARMANDS KEY LUTHERAN CHURCH BRIDGE CLUB Every Thursday beginning at 1 p.m. at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, 40 N. Adams Drive, join an ACBL-sanctioned game of contract bridge with a certified teacher and director. All skill levels are welcome. There is an $8 suggested donation for each session. Refreshments will be provided. RSVP to 952-9251.

ZUMBA AND MAT PILATES FOR SENIORS From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. The class, designed for active seniors, starts with zumba and shifts to all-level mat Pilates at 10:30 a.m.

Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

FRIDAYS

MEDITATION AND STRESS RELIEF From 11 a.m. to noon at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Free for members and $10 for others. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

LONGBOAT KEY 25 Lighthouse Point Drive 4 Beds 6/1 Baths 6,025 Sq. Ft. Sherri Mills 941-350-7112 A4503359 $5,200,000

SARASOTA 3835 Pomegranate Place 3 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,179 Sq. Ft. Kelly Quigley 941-356-9954 A4519108 $1,975,000

PALMETTO 2211 6th Street W 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 4,011 Sq. Ft. Debbie Vogler 941-705-3328 A4520763 $1,970,000

LONGBOAT KEY 647 Marbury Lane 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 2,651 Sq. Ft. Sandi Layfield 941-914-2807 A4503569 $1,599,000

LONGBOAT KEY 3010 Grand Bay Boulevard 445 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,143 Sq. Ft. Mel & Jan Goldsmith 941-356-6673 A4520071 $1,495,000

LONGBOAT KEY 711 Russell Street 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,862 Sq. Ft. Cindy Fischer & Mark J Baron 941-465-1124 A4520114 $1,400,000

BRADENTON 10012 Kingfisher Road E 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,473 Sq. Ft. Ken Kavanaugh, Jr & Maureen Horn 941-799-1943 A4516775 $1,295,000

LONGBOAT KEY 741 Fox Street 4 Beds 3 Baths 2,390 Sq. Ft. Cindy Fischer & Mark J Baron 941-465-1124 A4520104 $1,195,000

SARASOTA 2907 Pony Lane 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,536 Sq. Ft. Linda Driggs & Sara Boudarga 941-374-2920 A4520983 $1,100,000

BRADENTON 1523 1st Avenue W 4 Beds 3 Baths 3,500 Sq. Ft. Fran DeDona & Pam Goodwin 941-812-5023 A4505327 $999,750

LONGBOAT KEY 656 Tarawitt Drive 10,799 Sq. Ft. Ian Addy, PA & Gail Wittig 941-961-8850 A4518192 $950,000

PALMETTO 610 16th Avenue E 2 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,957 Sq. Ft. Rachelle Golden 941-538-8998 A4514336 $899,000

LONGBOAT KEY 100 Sands Point Road 323 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,941 Sq. Ft. Peter Salefsky & Rachelle Golden 941-724-5107 A4517962 $895,000

LONGBOAT KEY 1701 Gulf Of Mexico Drive 207 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,551 Sq. Ft. Brigitte Von Kessel 941-266-2174 A4519006 $895,000

SARASOTA 707 S Gulfstream Avenue 101 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,247 Sq. Ft. Marybeth Flynn 941-704-1477 A4518888 $850,000

SARASOTA 1039 23rd Street 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,513 Sq. Ft. Maureen Doherty & Patrick Doherty 941-993-3159 A4519506 $799,000

PARRISH 3321 Lakeside Circle 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,735 Sq. Ft. Jay Brock, Iii 941-218-3226 A4521290 $650,000

LONGBOAT KEY 4410 Exeter Drive K206 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,168 Sq. Ft. Malihe Karimi 941-376-5099 A4520093 $625,000

LONGBOAT KEY 4410 Exeter Drive K205 2 Beds 2 Baths 992 Sq. Ft. Malihe Karimi 941-376-5099 A4519064 $595,000

SARASOTA 101 S Gulfstream Avenue 15B 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,320 Sq. Ft. Tracy Jones 941-376-3405 A4518516 $470,000

BRADENTON 9004 Hammock Edge Place 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,834 Sq. Ft. Jonathan Fox & Susan Fox, PA 941-544-6649 A4520947 $425,000

BRADENTON 2616 47th Avenue W 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,452 Sq. Ft. Joseph McDonald 941-375-9646 A4519750 $375,000

SARASOTA 7814 Ontario Street Circle 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,533 Sq. Ft. James Jablonski 941-812-5819 A4521299 $350,000

SARASOTA 3639 S Lockwood Ridge Road 2 Beds 1 Baths 1,186 Sq. Ft. Valarie Wadsworth 941-780-3858 A4518154 $349,777

SARASOTA 5230 Hyland Hills Avenue 1326 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,684 Sq. Ft. Anja Deichmann 941-284-7987 A4521331 $300,000

SARASOTA /PINECRAFT 3222 Old Oak Drive 6 Beds 4 Baths 3,617 Sq. Ft. Linda Driggs & Sara Boudarga 941-374-2920 A4520979 $5,000,000

LIDO KEY 1440 John Ringling Parkway 5 Beds 4/1 Baths 3,772 Sq. Ft. Barbara May & Fred Sassen 404-822-9264 A4519599 $4,995,000

ANNA MARIA ISLAND 112 Mangrove Avenue 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,577 Sq. Ft. Hannah Hillyard & George Myers 941-744-7358 A4502423 $3,999,000

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM

370917-1

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YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

DEC. 27-JAN. 3

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

A

home on Longboat Key tops all transactions in this week’s real estate.

Alexander Wagner, personal representative, of San Francisco, sold the home at 5940 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Eric and Sharon van der Walde, of Longboat Key, for $4.7 million. Built in 2002, it has four bedrooms, five baths, a pool and 5,177 square feet of living area.

LIDO

Joel Edward Putterman, of Atlanta, and Lawrence Elliot Putterman, of Southport, Connecticut, sold their home at 220 Morningside Drive to Howard and Susan Levine, of Sarasota, for $4.6 million. Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 4,040 square feet of living area.

JOHN RINGLING ESTATES

John Scott Jones and Nancy Ann Jones, of Crozet, Virginia, sold their home at 113 Fillmore Drive to Enomena LLC and 18-26 George St LLC for $3,275,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, four-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 4,008 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.7 million in 2010.

BIRD KEY

MRP Properties Sarasota LLC sold the home at 426 Meadow Lark Drive to Michael James Funderburk, trustee, of Glendale Heights, Illinois, for $2,952,000. Built in 1970, it has three bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 2,415 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,335,000 in 2020.

BAY ISLES

Catherine Dee, Debora Lynch, Donna Doty, Douglas Doty and Joanne Jenkins, trustees, of Longboat Key, sold the home at 1601 Harbor Cay Lane to Sonsoleil Developments Inc. for $2.5 million. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, five baths, a pool and 4,121 square feet of living area. It sold for $900,000 in 1996.

GRAND BAY

Michael Lewis Gotthainder and Khaled Hassan Ibrahim, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 235 condominium at 3040 Grand Bay Blvd. to Serge Picard and Melanie DoyonPicard, of Princeton, New Jersey, for $1,149,000. Built in 1996, it has

25

REAL ESTATE

Home at 5940 GMD sells for $4.7 million

|

File photo

The Bird Key home at 426 Meadow Lark Drive sold for $2,952,000

Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,096 square feet of living area. It sold for $308,000 in 2014.

three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,143 square feet of living area. It sold for $825,000 in 2015.

PROMENADE

Phillip Marshall Jr., trustee, of Prospect, Kentucky, sold the Unit 407 condominium at 1211 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Longboat Key 2021 LLC for $810,000. Built in 1985, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,827 square feet of living area. It sold for $810,000 in 2020.

LIDO HARBOUR SOUTH

SEAPLACE

Jennifer Stover, Grant Stover and Elizabeth Stover, trustee, of Aurora, Colorado, sold the Unit M1-605H condominium at 2045 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Jacobs Cona Group LLC for $771,000. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,265 square feet of living area. It sold for $542,000 in 2007.

WINDWARD BAY

Charles and Sharon Nickless, of Frankenmuth, Michigan, sold their Unit 104 condominium at 2110 Benjamin Franklin Drive to John Texada and Courtney Ferris, of Sarasota, for $739,000. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,248 square feet of living area. It sold for $385,000 in 2009.

CLUB LONGBOAT BEACH AND TENNIS

Peter Lewis, trustee, of Seattle, sold the Unit 124 condominium at 5055 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Steven Philip Marto and Gillian Tatiana Marto, of Longboat Key, for $511,800. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,484 square feet of living

Leah Schwartz and David Schwartz, of Scottsdale, Arizona, sold their Unit PH-6 condominium at 4900 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Bruce and Robon Donaldson, of Carmel, Indiana, for $750,000. Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,152 square feet of living area. It sold for $125,000 in 1984.

area. It sold for $225,000 in 1990.

LONGBOAT HARBOUR

Shahe and Shirley Momjian, trustees, of Longboat Key, sold the Unit 202 condominium at 4320 Falmouth Drive to Mark and Deborah Belcher, of Indianapolis, for $495,000. Built in 1969, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 928 square feet of living area. It sold for $392,000 in 2005.

LIDO TOWERS

Gary and Katherine Heiges, of Sykesville, Maryland, sold their Unit 212 condominium at 1001 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Vergel De Dios 1 LLC for $393,000. Built in 1980, it has one bedroom, one-anda-half baths and 813 square feet of living area. It sold for $300,000 in 2008.

In with the new SALES GALLERY OPEN

Steve and Marnie Pedersen, of Ontario, Canada, sold their Unit 302 condominium at 4500 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Mark and Debra Terdle, of Irwin, Pennsylvania, for $742,500. Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,096 square feet of living area. It sold for $245,000 in 2014.

Longboat Key

Svetlana Shtrom, of Chuluota, sold her Unit 203 condominium at 4600 Gulf of Mexico Drive to David Samuels, of Sarasota, for $580,000.

The Residences at the St. Regis | 941.213.3300 | From the $2,000,000’s | Call for appointment. SRResidencesLongboatKey.com

SALES GALLERY NOW OPEN

TOP BUILDING PERMITS These are the largest building permits issued by the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Department for the week of Dec. 30-Jan. 6 in order of dollar amounts.

Downtown St. Petersburg

L O N G B OAT K E Y ADDRESS 3336 Sabal Cove Lane

PERMIT Re-roof

APPLICANT John W. Quinn

AMOUNT $61,266

6401 GMD

Electrical

John D. Horton

$58,607

540 De Narvaez Drive

Windows and doors Diana S. Spanos

$39,035

521 Harbor Point Road

Re-roof

Thomas Zielinski

$32,135

525 Putter Lane

A/C change-out

Shane M. Mikula Enterprises

$31,961

4485 GMD

Radios on rooftop

Arbomar Apartments

$25,000

572 Spinnaker Lane

Mechanical

Douglas M. Plunkett

$23,500

828 Bayport Way

Windows and doors Yury Linetsky

4241 GMD Unit 501

Glass doors

Richard A. Beaumont

$17,086

4825 GMD Unit 103

Hurricane shutters

Matthew J. Durfree

$16,770

2045 GMD #305

Windows and doors Stacey A. Warren

400 Central | 727.209.7848 | From the $1,000,000’s | Call for appointment. | Residences400central.com

MOVE IN FALL 2022

$23,000

Downtown Sarasota

$15,203

3040 Grand Bay Blvd #291 Mechanical

Robert E. Neiman

$15,000

2721 GMD #601

A/C change-out

Kevin D. Ruscitti

$13,800

5231 GMD Unit 308

Windows and doors Ondrea D. Francy

3351 Sabal Cove Lane

A/C change-out

3351 Sabal Cove Lane Realty

6681 GMD

A/C change-out

Mark Tormey

$7,826

680 Fox St.

Doors

Craig J. Cather

$7,521

1580 Harbor Cay Lane

A/C change-out

Todd I. Rieke 2020 Living Trust $6,939

$10,292

The Collection | 941.232.2868 | From the $2,000,000’s | Call for appointment. | thecollection1335.com

$9,340

4390 Exeter Drive Unit 107 A/C change-out

Hilary McFadden

3804 GMD #B101

A/C change-out

Colette Nemni

520 Chipping Lane

Plumbing natural gas Richard G. Ayotte

4125 GMD

A/C change-out

La Firenza Condo Association $5,690

7125 GMD Unit 13

A/C change-out

Michael J. Schwent Jr.

Sales galleries open and available for virtual or in-person presentations.

Virtual home tours | OnDemand local experts | Interactive site and floorplans

$6,437 $6,391

$4,500

WWW.MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM/NEW-HOMES | 844.591.4333 | SARASOTA, FLORIDA Prices as of November 2021.

Source: Town of Longboat Key

Licensed Real Estate Broker

370929-1

$6,000

26

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

SELLING LOCAL LUXURY WITH G L O B A L C O N N E C T I O N S

Judy Kepecz-Hays

$2.3 BILLION IN CAREER SALES

941.587.1700

Lori Lawson

Steven Kepecz

941.735.4385

941.376.6411 January 13, 2022

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We sincerely hope that it was an exceptional holiday for you and your family, and thank you for being part of our success.

Ritz-Carlton Managed Residence SUNSET BEACH

TANGERINE BAY

THE BEACH RESIDENCES OF LIDO KEY

2109 Gulf of Mexico Dr #1401 Eloquently updated 2 bedroom corner residence. Enjoy the sparkling turqoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico with mesmorizing sunrise and sunset views. Bright and open floorplan complimented by wood flooring throughout the home. State of the art kitchen appliances, custom cabinetry, and quartz countertops. Enjoy all the luxuries and amenities Sunset Beach has to offer. Minutes away from 45-holes of golf and Publix shopping center.

370 Gulf of Mexico Dr #421

Epic views, day and night from this very private casual elegant residence. Walls of glass showcasing the beauty of Sarasota Bay and Skyline as your backdrop. When you step out of your private elevator into your 3,352 sq. ft. residence, you’re welcomed into a bright open floor plan that offers you 2 bedrooms plus den. Two parking spaces included and two pets welcome

Enjoy all the comfort of resort-like amenities and the feel of single family living Tangerine Bay offers! 3 bedroom 3.5 bath. Southern exposed corner residence 2-car garage & 2-small pets welcome. Amenities include guard gate, pool/spa, tennis courts, fitness center, a fishing pier, & day dock. Offered for $1,100,000 www.TangerineBay421.com

Offered for $2,985,000. www.TheBeachResidences809.com

PE

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ND

ND

IN

IN

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Offered for $1,098,000. www.SunsetBeach1401.com

1300 Benjamin Franklin Dr #809

LONGBOAT KEY

6211 Gulf of Mexico Dr Enjoy the Gulf of Mexico as your backyard with this custom designed gulf-front estate.

Fall in love with the details and architecture you won’t find anywhere else. 4 bedrooms plus den or 5 bedrooms 5 baths. 6-car garage and an impressive lower level. Forever sunset views await you on your expansive terrace.

Offered for $10,880,000 www.6211GulfofMexico.com

Ritz-Carlton Managed Residence Penthouse

THE WATER CLUB 1241 Gulf of Mexico Dr #408 Beautifully updated and furnished residence at The Water Club. This 3000 sq. ft residence offers Bay and Gulf views. Corner residence with sunrise/sunset views. Enjoy the miles of pristine beaches and resort-style living. Lavish mastersuite that pampers you with your own private terrace with views of the gulf. Two pets welcome. Offered for $2,350,000 FURNISHED www.TheWaterClub408.com

THE BEACH RESIDENCES OF LIDO KEY 1300 Benjamin Franklin Dr. Penthouse 1201 Enjoy sunrise and sunsets year-round. 4200 sq. ft. two wrap around terraces, southwest and east corner. Endless resort-style amenities; travertine floors, Subzero, and Dacor appliances. Newer BBQ on terrace, motorized blinds, high ceilings, and a private 2-car garage plus 1 space. Two pets welcome.

Offered for $5,985,000 www.1300Penthouse1201.com

I made it happen! Call me today for similar results!

Judy Kepecz-Hays 941-587-1700

Judy Kepecz-Hays | 941.587.1700

COLDWELL BANKER REALTY

423 St. Armands Circle | Sarasota, FL 34236 595 Bay Isles Road, Suite 250 | Longboat Key, FL 34228 Email: Kepecz@JudyHays.com Website: LongboatKeyLuxury.com

$134 MILLION SOLD Year to Date

372664-1

$2.3 BILLION IN CAREER SALES If you’re thinking of buying or selling, please call us for exceptional service.

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

SUNRISE / SUNSET

FRIDAY, JAN. 14

High: 67 Low: 52 Chance of rain: 1%

Thursday, Jan. 13 7:21a 5:56p

WEATHER

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST

27

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

|

Sunrise Sunset

Friday, Jan. 14

7:21a

5:57p

Saturday, Jan. 15

7:21a

5:58p

Sunday, Jan. 16

7:21a

5:59p

SATURDAY, JAN. 15

Monday, Jan. 17

7:21a

6:00p

High: 68 Low: 51 Chance of rain: 6%

Tuesday, Jan. 18

7:21a

6:00p

Wednesday, Jan. 19

7:21a

6:01p

MOON PHASES SUNDAY, JAN. 16 High: 66 Low: 50 Chance of rain: 53%

Feb. 8 First

Feb. 16 Full

Feb. 23 Last

March 2 New

TIDES

Highs Lows

Thursday, Jan. 13

11:51a

8:08p

4:23a

2:05p

12:47p

8:50p

5:08a

2:50p

Saturday, Jan. 15

1:25p

9:32p

5:49a

3:33p

Sunday, Jan. 16

1:51p

10:13p

6:27a

4:14p

Monday, Jan. 17

2:07p

10:53p

7:01a

4:57p

Tuesday, Jan. 18

2:17p

11:34p

7:34a

5:42p

Friday, Jan. 14 Mary Kondrat captured this photo of a heron walking the shoreline on Longboat Key.

Wednesday, Jan. 19

— 2:26p 8:04a 6:32p

Submit your photos at YourObserver.com/Weather. All submissions will be entered for the 2021-22 Weather and Nature photo contest. In February 2022, you will vote for your favorite photo, and the submission with the most votes will win a $500 gift card.

MANASOTA FLOORING INC 371147-1

941.748.4679 | Venice

941.493.7441 | www.manasotaonline.com

crossword

celebrity cipher

SIDE ORDER by Drew Schmenner. Edited by David Steinberg genre 120 Alley group 121 Swarming insects 122 Like a scrubbed launch 123 Excellent, informally 124 Epic story 125 Terrible ___ (toddlers’ phase)

DOWN 1 Diplomat’s grace 2 Cherish 3 Book that lists words backward (Hint: This clue’s answer includes letters 3-7 in 43-Across) 4 Contented 5 Turf 6 Libyan capital 7 The Pacific, e.g.

8 Ctrl+V, on a PC 9 Ravens’ home?

10 Sulk 11 Poker winnings 12 More strict 13 Those running for office, say 14 ___-rock 15 As well 16 Seer’s skill, for short 18 Finish ©2022 Universal Uclick 21 Japanese midsize car drive 68 Greek row house 90 Unadulterated (... includes letters 7-10 in ACROSS 39 Episodic 69 It precedes Sept.

92 Received by good 41-Across) 1 Baseball field cover 41 Dessert topped with 70 Summer, in French fortune 27 Cardamom and nutmeg 5 “Don’t do that!” burnt sugar 71 Dream sleep letters 95 Day celebrating an 1862 29 List shortener 9 Venmo and Tinder 43 Making a fortune?

72 Church song Mexican victory 31 Type of PC port 13 Despise 47 Former Russian leader 73 Word before “the land of 98 University official 34 Review using stars 17 “Hello” pop star 48 Be a bad winner the free” 99 They position cameras 35 Thurman of Hollywood 19 Killer whale 49 Hula dancer’s garland 74 Common feature of an on a set 36 “Mr. Blue Sky” grp.

20 Length of a sub, 50 Piece of concert merch antismoking ad 100 Topped, deep-fried 37 ___ & Perrins steak maybe?

51 Statements recited in 77 Poet W.H. tortilla sauce 21 Songs that sound the court 78 She visits Luke in “The 103 (“The baby’s sleep38 To this day same backward? ing!”)

53 Faux ___ Last Jedi” 40 Religious ceremonies 22 Group of witches 105 “Moby-Dick” captain 54 Makes amends 79 Building wing 42 Nail polish brand 23 Perishes 106 Sure winner 56 Name hidden in 80 “That’s beautiful!”

43 Anticipate logistically 24 Adorable 107 Corp. image squad “Aquarius” 81 Certain goat’s wool 44 One may have time for 25 “Gimme five!”

110 Country estate 57 Scientist Newton 82 Thanksgiving dessert many hobbies 26 Tire patterns 83 “A League of ___ Own” 113 Skilled enough 45 Ark constructor 28 One of 1,093 for Edison 60 Like a bass’s voice 115 Somewhat (1992 film) 46 Gem that’s often red 30 ___ Goldberg machine 63 Dressed to the ___ 85 Cause of a swelled head 117 Model maker’s wood 52 X game (... includes let32 Places in med. dramas 64 “Stan & Ollie” co-star 118 For grown-ups 67 De Armas of “No Time 86 Hairpiece ters 7-9 in 74-Across) 33 Characterized by 119 Hard-boiled movie 87 Be of use 53 Tree with fronds 35 How stereotypical teens to Die”

55 Earn after taxes 58 Apple assistant 59 Apt name for a smarty 60 Make it clear what’s allowed, and a hint to filling in four answers in this puzzle 61 How many applicants are selected?

62 “Interested in comin’?”

64 San ___, Puerto Rico 65 Fairy tale baddie 66 Flinch 69 Zits and such 72 Embrace 74 Mariner’s headwear 75 Add-on 76 Drive-___ window 77 Battery terminal 81 50+ years, for Harold and Maude 82 Chunky salsa (... includes letters 4-7 in 95-Across) 84 “Yo!” 85 Scraped (by) 87 “Cathy” cry 88 Compete 89 Whichever 90 Musical group in a gym 91 Lecturer’s pause fillers 93 Stretching, as one’s neck 94 Split second 96 One of 31 in enero 97 Win in 52-Down 101 Afternoon TV dramas 102 Lower leg bone 104 Must 106 ___ ‘N Slide 108 Longtime SCOTUS monogram 109 Word after “midnight” or “critical” 110 Movers’ vehicle 111 Promise at the altar 112 Carry laboriously 114 “No way, ref!”

116 Airport org. with wands

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

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“MTSW C RVH XCHA, PO ZRMNW VJJCJDHW SRVTLWH. C ZVA NCXW, ‘OMD PVXW V ABCTVN SMFH IFMP ASFVJSR, VTH ZW’NN JVNX.’”

– BVJ KWTVJVF

“XT ZCRPU ZP LC NWKCALW TC RABW FXHU. ZP WXSP NC DHSP NWHT FPKJPBN DHJP ZWPU ZP XKP RPTTPE AF HUTHEP.”

– RXKV O. IDHLP

“E’UK ZWDZNX GKKP ZV VSK EPVKYXKHVECP CT HCBIJVKYX ZPM DSZVKUKY VSKN HZP YKUCWJVECPERK.” – OKTT GKRCX © 2022 NEA, Inc.

Puzzle Three Clue: B equals M

941.355.8437 | Bradenton

Puzzle Two Clue: O equals J

Sarasota

KITCHENS, BATHROOMS, BEDROOMS & MORE

Puzzle One Clue: T equals F

HARDWOOD

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

©2022 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

1-13-22

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

RED PAGES INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals

redpages@yourobserver.com • yourobserver.com/redpages DEADLINES: Classifieds - Monday at 2PM The Longboat Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Longboat Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

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

Help Wanted

real estate

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

LONGBOAT KEY: Beachfront Condos, 1st or 2nd floor, 2BR/2BA, W/D in units, free WiFi, heated pool, & parking. Call 941-383-3338.

SELL STUFF HERE! YourObserver.com/RedPages WEEKLY MONTHLY SEASONAL Rates Beachfront, Bayfront and In

Reservations 941-383-5577 wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com Visa/MC

CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

REAL LOCAL STUFF HERE!

YourObserver.com/RedPages STORAGE FACILITY Boat/ RV/ Trailer. Secure facility, low monthly rentals, Clark Rd area.

941809-3660, 941-809-3662.

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

Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

MANY MISCELLANEOUS items including collectables and furniture pieces. $50 each.

941-800-4476

RED PAGES AD RATES

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals

Email: RedPages@YourObserver.com Online: YourObserver.com/Red Pages

Health/Fitness/ Beauty BICYCLE LIKE new Biria three speed bike with basket, helmet, lock and bell. Almost never used. $500 (347) 598-3982

MARINE AQUACULTURE / Biologist / Aquarist Marine Aquaculture Facility, E-Commerce and Phone Support for two marine businesses/ Part-time $15-$19/ hour. Flexible Schedule. Great job for a marine biology student or aquarium hobbyist. Contact EdK@CulturedCorals.com for details.

PART-TIME MAINTENANCE at vacation rental company on Longboat Key. Light maintenance and repairs in vacation properties. Vehicle and tools provided.

FL Vacation Connection. 941387-9709 or submit resume to Info@FLVacationConnection.com

You’re only cheating yourself.

YourObserver.com/RedPages

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TREASURES FOUND HERE!

ES HANDYMAN & REMODELING. Hardwood flooring, kitchens, drywall, painting and electrical.

Honest and best prices.

30+ years exp. Fully ins/lic. 716474-8492.

SELL YOUR STUFF HERE!

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

M-F Ask about our special rates!

Wagner Realty

941-955-4888 PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE: YourObserver.com/RedPages

Since 1939 www.rentalsonlongboat.com

Longboat Key Beach House: on Canal, 2BED-2BATH, Dock.

Owner/agent $530,000.

First 15 words ................... $ 17.50 per week Each Add’l word .........50¢

Color background: $ 5 per week Ad border: as low as $3 per week

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

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

Free estimates. 941-744-1020.

35+ years experience.

Stroll to Siesta Key Beach 4 Bed 2 Bath Heated Pool, 2 Car Garage $799,000

Buy or Sell with Brooke O’Malley as your Realtor, and CLUB REALTY will Pay your title insurance.

Call 941-726-2677.

Antiques/ Collectibles WANTED: OLDER Baseball/Football Cards/Sports Cards Seeking large collections of sports cards.

Everything wanted BUT late 80smid 90s cards. Clean out your storage! Text: 941 548 6492

Sorrento Shores Waterfront 3 Bed 2 Bath Fantastic Views, New Dock $995,000

Painting

BEACH HARBOR Club Gorgeous penthouse condo with access to beach/boat/pool/fitness. 3BR/2BA, 2 large terraces, sunrise/sunset views. $5500/mo in season.

248-202-6865 or 440-623-9068.

LONGBOAT KEY, BEA CH H ARBO R C LU B AN D B A Y P OR T T EN N I S C LU B FLORIDA : 2 Bedrooms, 2 baths. Over 1600 Square feet.

Ground 1st floor. 75” TV’s, fully upgraded. Monthly annually.

Contact lin44139@yahoo.com or linetsky2021@icloud.com or with desired rental price. Rent various: $6,000/month $8,000/month. Sales tax and fees are included.

Auto Transport AIRPORT RIDES to Tampa, St. Pete., Sarasota from surrounding islands. Super ride, super fares.

Call/text Anna: 941-932-1600 SHIP YOUR car, truck or SUV anywhere in the United States.

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

This week’s Crossword answers

Government PUBLIC NOTICE LOST OR ABANDONED PROPERTY Held by Longboat Key Police Department 5460 Gulf of Mexico Dr. THE LONGBOAT KEY POLICE DEPARTMENT IS HOLDING FISHING POLES, ELECTRONICS, WALLETS, AND CAR KEYS ALL TURNED IN AS FOUND DURING THIS TIME PERIOD OF 01-01-21 THRU 12-16-21. IF NOT CLAIMED BY OWNERS, ITEMS SHALL BE DISPOSED OF AS AUTHORIZED BY F.S.S. 705.103. INQUIRES 941-361-6411 x1928

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “Once I had kids, my whole attitude changed. I was like, ‘You make a spinal cord from scratch, and we’ll talk.’”

Pat Benatar Puzzle Two Solution: “As women we go through so much pain. We have to live this perfect life when we are messed up inside.”

Mary J. Blige Puzzle Three Solution: “I’ve always been at the intersection of computers and whatever they can revolutionize.”

Jeff Bezos

This week’s Sudoku answers

©2022 Universal Uclick

TO ADVERTISE CALL 941-955-4888 OR VISIT YOUROBSERVER.COM/REDPAGES

©2022 NEA, Inc.

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

Ad runs 2 consecutive weeks in 1 Observer.

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

Autos Wanted

101 Longboat Key, FL 34228

home services

Items Under $200

auto

stuff

Homes for Sale Luxurious Lake Club 4 Bed 4 Bath Built in 2019 Lakefront Lakewood Ranch $2,500,000

CLAUDIA C. Cleaning Services.

Experienced, dependable, and ready to begin!

Residential.

Excellent references.

941-773-6895.

Between Houses or Condos

5360 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Suite

Looking to hire for part time work.

Some qualities: punctual, organized- looking for someone who is VERY organized, decisive, hard-working, good character, ability to think ahead of someone needs (with vision and foresight), With Ease of Expression.

Respectful. Very responsible. Looking for someone to perform various duties including- Knowledge of Apple OS ...Various admin duties * Experience as a personal assistant / skills for organization will be valued. Contact Krystina Muller, 941-306-9689

Cleaning

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

Auto Service

Dog Grooming

29

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

Personal Services

SELL YOUR CAR! FAST • EASY • SAFE

THE BEST WIN SERVICES BEST NEW HOME WATCH IN TOWN

WE COME TO YOU

ALSO FEATURING OTHER LUXURIOS SERVICES

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371064

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Registered member of the National Dog Groomers Association of America (NDGAA)

Beauty

253-709-8385 MJCONCEPCION@THEWINWINSERVICES.COM THEWINWINSERVICES.COM

Power Washing

Handyman

371066

370552

SERVING YOU IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME

CONSTRUCTION HANDYMAN • Home Repairs & Maintenance • Interior & Exterior 941.504.2745 • Garage Floor Paint 941.400.1563 • Power Wash

Naji Aoun

Pressure Washing

GladysKhabbaz@gmail.com 805 Molly Circle, Sarasota

Honesty, Integrity and Pride

370575

Do You Have Neck or Low Back Pain?

Do You Want To Avoid Surgery?

Carpet Cleaning

941-544-1066

BEFORE

AFTER

Serving Sarasota/Manatee Area Since 2004

GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

424-333-0713 | rockstarmobilehair@gmail.com www.rockstarmobilehairsalon.com

Pressure Washing

• Roofs • Pool Cages • Decks • Driveways Deck/Paver Sealing• •Decks Gutter• Driveways Cleaning ••Roofs • Pool Cages AndSealing Much•More!

• Deck/Paver And Much More

Health

AMANDA

372496

941.270.4400

|

| scaperotta@aol.com

Italian American Owned

Roofing

Give Us a Call - We Can Help

FREE CONSULTATION 941.358.2224

Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

941-778-2882 • 941-387-0607 370740

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC

Like Us on Facebook

Concrete

Insurance

MIC INSURANCE

Call Bobby • FREE Estimates 319-693-8800 or 941-374-7670 Doors

941-345-5264

specialty screens / screw replacement / paint

RED PAGES

CONCRETE FUSION

EXPERIENCE KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS

Our team of professionals provides superior service and expertise for all of your insurance needs.

Sliding Glass Door Repair

371525

372506

Furniture Sales & Repairs Cushions • Slings • Re-powdercoating

370573

Warranties

(941) Showcase your345-5264 products or services each week in the Red Pages.

CALL 941-955-4888

Lic./Ins.

Form Serving Longboat Key Since 2005

25

UP TO

STANDARD WINDOWS

595 Bay Isles Rd. Suite 215 941.554.8909 | www.micinsurancefl.com

ows

140

$

INCLUDING SCREENS, TRACKS, MIRRORS & FANS

SPECIAL 00

Massage

FREE PICKUP / DELIVERY • FREE ONSITE QUOTES

Manufacture and workmanship

& Pressure C Window lean t e s ing as Sunrise Wi n w o n k Sun y l nd er

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Patio Furniture Repairs.com

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Res./Com.

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Furniture Repair

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Windows

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

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Harbour Square 4134 Gulf of Mexico Dr. Suite 208 941-524-9700 SymphonyMassage.com Open 7 Days a Week | Covered Parking & Elevator Access MM40360

5

$

370574

senior citizen discount. www.sunsetwindowcleaningsrq.com

Purified water window cleaning available!!

Call Tibor for FREE ESTIMATES | 941- 284 - 5880

Insurance

SECUR-ALL INSURANCE AGENCY

Sandra Smith

| 941.383.3388

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

CHUBB, AIG, UNIVERSAL, UNITED, SAFECO, PROGRESSIVE, VAULT, FLOOD, WE HAVE YOU COVERED!

371071

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BUZ CORP D/B/A

Advertise your business in the Red Pages.

Call 941-955-4888

Screening 370619

SIDEWALKS • DRIVEWAYS

941-504-0903

Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936

www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com DrCifra@SarasotaDiscCenter.com

CRACK REPAIR

New Deluxe Rollers Will Make Your Doors Roll Better Than Ever Call Mark 928-2263 proslidingglassdoorrepair.com

941-626-3194

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

Check out our 5 Star Reviews on Google

372516

Serving AMI, LBK and Bradenton for 25 years

9 EPLACE Don’t R Concrete d of Goo only 5% when cked! is cra

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

370621

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Building & Roofing Contractor

372517

CARPET, TILE, UPHOLSTERY CLEANING ODOR CONTROL • AREA RUG SPECIALIST

#1 in IR REPA c Cra k 5%

Kenneth Fuhlman Inc.

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression provides safe, gentle & effective relief for upwards of 90% of patients that qualify for care.

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022

ROGER SELLS

LUXURY WATERFRONT PROPERTIES

MORE THAN $206 MILLION CLOSED IN 2021

4235 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE #84 Boasting more than $152,000 in gross annual rental income (in 2021), this updated and furnished villa at Turtle Crawl Inn is immediately ready for guests to enjoy, offering a valuable rental program with daily rental options. Direct Gulf-front walk out residences, steps from the beach, do not come on the market often on Longboat Key’s sought-after island. Beautiful beach views of sparkling Gulf waters welcome you to this residence spanning nearly 1,800 SF. Guests will appreciate the recent updates including porcelain tile flooring throughout in a wood-grain finish, crown molding, impact windows (currently equipped with storm shutters, and impact glass sliders will be installed in May 2022), plantation shutters, and a galley style eat-in kitchen with custom cabinetry, Quartz countertops and stainless-steel appliances.

3731 INDIAN BEACH PLACE

$6,495,000

$2,200,000 •

2 Bedrooms. 2 Bathrooms. 1,758 SF

•

Direct beach views of lush landscaping and sparkling Gulf waters

•

Walk right out to enjoy pristine Gulf shores

•

Lucrative rental program with no restrictions

•

Also includes covered parking

•

www.TurtleCrawl84.com

15111 GADDY UP RANCH ROAD

Built in 2006 with the exceptionally high standards of Triangle Construction, designed with energy efficient and sustainable materials, this 5BR, lavish bayfront residence is the epitome of luxury waterfront living.

The perfect place to escape, with its enviable central location minutes from downtown, verdant gardens protecting the nearly one-acre of property, extensive updates, and a beautifully elaborate interior that is ready for you to immediately begin enjoying.

Country breezes rustling through century old oaks and pines welcome you to this unique, 82.5-acre property known as the Gaddy Up Ranch.

Located in Sarasota County, nearby to Myakka River State Park, this Gentleman’s Ranch is a quiet, private retreat, while still being close to the cultural lifestyle and fine dining amenities of Sarasota. Offering newer structures, 6-stall horse barn, underground electric, deep-water well and space to build your own family compound.

www.3731IndianBeach.com

www.GaddyUpRanchSRQ.com

862 GRANDE PASS WAY

$2,995,000

3060 GRAND BAY BOULEVARD #112

Create your dream beach home at this private, gated enclave on the southern tip of Boca Grande. One of only 19 homesites in the exclusive Hill Tide Estates community, this spectacular parcel boasts more than a quarter-acre of direct beachfront property to make your own.

Fall in love with the move-in ready condition of this 3BR, sun drenched getaway.

Offering an open-plan layout adorned with walls of glass sliders that lead out to the spacious wraparound terrace, lovely eat-in kitchen and a private master suite. This resort-style neighborhood includes many first-rate amenities to enjoy.

www.862GrandePassWay.com

www.GrandBay112.com

$3,995,000

$1,450,000

CALL TODAY FOR YOUR EXCLUSIVE TOUR (941) 387-1840 443 John Ringling Boulevard, Suite F | Sarasota, FL 34236 595 Bay Isles Road , Suite 250 | Longboat Key, FL 34228 Roger@Pettingell.com | Pettingell.com Twitter.com/RealRoger | Instagram.com/RogerPettingell Owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC 371474-1

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