Longboaters found plenty of ways to start off the Thanksgiving holiday this year, and for about 30 residents and friends, that included an inaugural morning turkey trot with the new Longboat Key running club. The running club has been meeting every Saturday morning since it launched four months ago, offering a chance for community members to get together and get moving. Members joined a special Thursday morning holiday run before starting their Thanksgiving traditions. Participants meet at 7 a.m. Saturdays at Sips coffee shop at 6830 Gulf of Mexico Drive. The group is free and open to the public, and registration is not required.
Hope Seeds seeks extra hands
Last year, volunteers with Christ Church of Longboat Key sent over 1 million seed packets to over 20 countries, organizer Ann Quackenbush said. Now, in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, they are hoping to increase their efforts. But they need a helping hand.
Volunteers come together once a month to pack seeds to send abroad. Quackenbush said with storms damaging fields in Jamaica and neighboring countries, families need support to rebuild and regrow. Those looking to help can join the effort from 1-3:15 p.m. Dec. 8 at Fellowship Hall at the church, located at 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Call 941-7359454 or visit ChristChurchOfLBK.org.
Dana Kampa
File image Brent Piersma and Beverly Sutton fill seed packets for Hope Seeds.
Dana Kampa
Piper Dawson checks out her favorite tree decorated by Lo’ Key Island Grille during the opening evening of Christmas in the Garden on Nov. 30 at Longboat Island Chapel.
WEEK OF DEC. 4, 2025
BY THE NUMBERS
“If you’re clipping along at 20 miles per hour, it’s hard to stop pretty quickly. I’m concerned about someone running into a car pulling out of a driveway or a car pulling out running into someone.”
Gary Hueber, resident, on e-bike regulations Read more on page 3
Police chief begins video series
ongboat Key Police Chief
LRuss Mager is now the narrator of “A Minute with Chief Mager,” which launched in late November on the town’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Mager said in the introductory video that they will release new videos monthly or twice monthly.
“It’s information that’ll make your life easier,” Mager said. “It’s educational information, it’s crime prevention information and it’s general information overall that will allow us to share with you and make your lives so much
better here on Longboat Key.”
Mager recently began his position as police chief, starting the job in August to replace former Chief George Turner, who left the department in January.
Mager has expressed his goal for the Longboat Key Police Department to be more visible. That is evident to anyone driving on Gulf of Mexico Drive, with cruisers stationed monitoring drivers’ speeds.
Mager also stresses transparency when describing goals for the department. “A Minute with
Chief Mager” is an example of that goal of transparency.
Before his move to Longboat Key, Mager was with the Delray Beach Police Department, in Palm Beach County. Mager served as police chief for the department from 2022 until his short-lived retirement in June.
“Longboat is that little slice of paradise,” he said after he was picked from a pool of more than 75 applicants. “But I really wasn’t ready to give up. I have plenty left in the tank.”
Hurricane season ends without landfall
After an overly eventful 2024 hurricane season, 2025 came and went quietly for Longboat Key.
The Atlantic hurricane season was from June 1 to Nov. 30. The number of named storms was 13, within the lower range of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s predictions for the season in May. Thankfully, no hurricanes hit the continental United States. Tropical Storm Chantal, however, made landfall in the Carolinas.
The severity of the storms that did form was unique, with three Category 5 hurricanes: Erin, Humberto and Melissa. That is second most since tracking began for the number of Category 5 storms in a single season. In 2005, there were four Category 5 storms.
Although the United States mostly escaped harm, Hurricane Melissa battered Jamaica with winds reaching 185 mph, tying for the second highest wind speeds ever recorded in an Atlantic hurricane.
Water restrictions in effect in Manatee
The Southwest Florida Water Management District has imposed water restrictions on Manatee County that took effect Dec. 1.
SWFWMD began Phase 1 Water Shortage Restrictions, which are tentatively scheduled to continue through July 1.
The restrictions do not change watering schedules, but they prohibit “wasteful and unnecessary” water use.
SWFWMD is reporting a 13-inch rainfall deficit compared to the average over the past 12 months. It reports in a release that it is mostly due to lower-than-normal rainfall during the summer rainy season. It reports that water levels in aquifers, rivers and lakes within the district and statewide are declining and are anticipated to decline further. The current maximum twiceper-week lawn watering remains in effect.
According to the release, lawn watering accounts for more than 50% of household water usage.
Longboat considers an ordinance to manage the rising mode of transportation.
S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER
In the ’80s and early ’90s, mopeds were all the rage, with teenagers zooming around on low-powered Yamahas, Motobecanes and Honda two-wheelers.
That’s the era when Longboat Key wrote its current biking ordinance, and with the recent hype and increased popularity of electric-assisted bikes and the dawn of app-based rental scooters, it’s time to bring the town code into the 21st century.
Longboat Key’s code of ordinances has no mention of e-bikes. There is, however, a definition for bicycles, and mopeds with up to 1.5 horsepower fall under that definition.
“We need to update the ordinance that we’re working under. It’s quite old,” said Town Manager Howard Tipton. “I don’t think it actually considered e-bikes. I think it might have been more for mini-bikes.”
Electric-powered bicycles have been around for a long time. A patent for them was first filed in 1895, but the modern e-bike wasn’t born until 104 years later with the invention of the pedal assist system. That milestone, along with developments in battery and electric power transmission systems, has led to a rise in the popularity of e-bikes in the past 20 years.
Recent growth has been meteoric, with sales of e-bikes nearly quadrupling in four years — there were 287,000 sold in 2019, and 1.1 million sold in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
State law breaks down electric bikes into three categories based on top speed and when and how the electric motor is engaged.
Sarasota resident Mike Graham has an Electra Townie e-bike. It’s considered a Class III e-bike. It can get up to about 30 miles per hour if he pedals hard, and it tops out at 20 if he only uses the throttle, which engages the 500-watt electric motor.
Graham was pedaling north on Longboat Key, a trip he wouldn’t take if not for his Townie. Living in downtown Sarasota, the e-bike unlocks a new part of town for Graham.
“I live in the Renaissance (in downtown Sarasota), and I live there because I don’t like to drive, so I can
VOLTAGE REGULATOR
tric bikes that are human-powered with the pedals on them, by statute, they are afforded the same rights,” Mager said. “They can operate on sidewalks, in the bike lanes or on the side of the roadway.”
The town is considering ways to regulate e-bicycle use on the Key after the Florida Legislature recently passed a law specifying that municipalities can do so.
“A county or municipality may enact an ordinance to permit, control, or regulate the operation of vehicles, golf carts, mopeds, motorized scooters, electric bicycles, and electric personal assistive mobility devices on sidewalks or sidewalk areas when such use is permissible under federal law,” the statute reads. “The ordinance must restrict such vehicles or devices to a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour in such areas.”
How fast e-bikes may travel on sidewalks is something town staff is considering as a potential aspect of an ordinance.
APP-BASED RENTAL E-BIKES AVAILABLE ON LIDO, ST. ARMANDS
walk,” Graham said. “There are 30 or 40 restaurants within about a 15- or 25-minute walk. Today, I was going to either go to Shore or Mar Vista. So now with a 20- to 30-minute bike ride I’ve got another 50 restaurants I can go to.”
Graham was riding his e-bike on the sidewalk. That was for safety’s sake, he said. Riding in a bike lane on a road with a high-speed limit can be dangerous to cyclists. Drivers-by don’t always give the legally required 3 feet of space while passing bikers.
“I don’t want to be riding out on the road, if I can help it, with cars that are going 40 or 50 miles per hour and are just a foot or two away from me,” he said. “That’s why I’m riding on the sidewalk.”
But e-bikes on the sidewalk can cause potential issues, and Longboat Key Police Chief Russ Mager said he has had complaints from residents about e-bikes traveling too quickly on the sidewalks.
“You have to take into account the speed on the sidewalk,” Mager said.
“Our considerations would be that it’s operated safely and you have some kind of mechanism in place to maybe have some speed governing on the sidewalk to make it safe for the pedestrians and the other cyclists.”
Gary and Colleen Hueber own e-bikes but don’t bring them down from Illinois when they visit Longboat Key during the winter. They have regular bicycles to get around the Key, but have noticed a lot of e-bikes during the busy season and are concerned there may be an accident.
“If you’re clipping along at 20 miles per hour, it’s hard to stop pretty quickly,” Gary said. “I’m concerned about someone running into a car pulling out of a driveway or a car pulling out running into someone.”
Mager said there have not been any reported injuries or collisions involving e-bikes, but that passing an ordinance to regulate the use of the vehicles is the prudent thing to do.
Right now, state law dictates the rules regarding where and how fast e-bikes can go on Longboat Key.
“Florida state statutes allow e-bikes the same rights and duties as a traditional bicycle. So the elec-
“We don’t want people really going more than 10 miles an hour on the sidewalks. If you want to go fast, you can go out on the main road,” Tipton said. “As people come back on the island, we’re just seeing a lot of people flying around.”
Mager said he wants to be clear that he is not anti e-bike. But a local law to make sure they are utilized safely within town limits is overdue.
“We’ve got to figure out what as a town what we consider safe and reasonable for an e-bike to travel through on a sidewalk. It’s legally allowed to be there by law, and we can enact our own town ordinances to regulate it,” Mager said. “But we just have to figure out what’s fair and reasonable, taking into account public safety.”
Any ordinance regulating e-bikes would need to go before the town commission, where the public would be able to provide input before voting on the ordinance. Ordinances must pass at two separate meetings before becoming law.
Tipton, Public Works Director Charlie Mopps and Chief Mager all stress that when drafting any ordinance, preserving mobility options is an important factor to consider.
“What we don’t want to do is take away from any of our aging population,” Mopps said. “They’re actu -
Veo, the app-based scooter and e-bike rental company, has a contract with the city of Sarasota. The city receives 30 cents per ride as part of the agreement, which allows Veo bikes and scooters to operate within city limits. To ensure they are only in use in city limits, the devices are “geofenced,” which disables them when they leave city limits.
With that, many Veos have been seen abandoned on the New Pass bridge where the geofencing kicks in. Veo employees drive around picking up improperly parked scooters and bikes daily, explains Veo’s Senior Manager of Policy and Communications Paige Miller.
“Veo’s service area ends before reaching Longboat Key. Our local team is in the field every day rebalancing vehicles and ensuring they are parked properly,” Miller said in an email. “If a member of the public comes across a stray vehicles before our team does, we encourage them to email Hello@VeoRide.com.”
ally using e-bikes as a mode to get back out there and use that pedal assist to keep their legs moving. If it keeps people going, we don’t want to dissuade that, but we want to set parameters and keep safe parameters because we don’t have a real true multimodal trail, we have a 6- to 8-foot-wide sidewalk.”
Though there is no requirement to do so, Graham said he leaves space when riding his e-bike on the sidewalk and doesn’t hit top speed. He is a pedestrian first, after all.
“If a bicyclist is going to be on the sidewalk, they better not be doing 10 miles an hour,” Graham said. “They can move a little bit faster than a pedestrian, but not in a way that’s gonna make everybody unsafe.”
“We don’t want people really going more than 10 miles an hour on the sidewalks. If you want to go fast, you can go out on the main road. As people come back on the island, we’re just seeing a lot of people flying around.”
— Howard Tipton, town manager Gary and Colleen Hueber, who ride bicycles to Bayfront Park by riding on the Gulf of Mexico Drive sidewalk, say they are worried e-bikers traveling on the sidewalks at excessive speeds could lead to injuries.
Photos by S.T. Cardinal Patricia Lopez rides her Specialized ebike all the way from the north end of the island to CVS to pick up essentials on Monday.
Mike Graham rides his bike from the Rosemary District in Sarasota, over the Ringling Causeway Bridge and to Longboat Key, a trip he wouldn’t take if he didn’t have his pedal-assist e-bike.
Veo scooters and e-bikes are available for rent in Sarasota city limits with Veo’s app-based service.
Do
Full Mouth Implant Dentistry
Black Friday busy but not bustling on St. Armands
from several area businesses that it was a decent sales day, but perhaps not what they hoped to see.
This Black Friday looked very different for Monkee’s of Sarasota. The St. Armands Circle boutique had just reopened after Hurricanes Milton and Helene, right in time for the national shopping extravaganza.
Owner Lori Harpsoe said the shop offered Black Friday pink-ribbon deals and storewide discounts, as did other St. Armands Key businesses.
“We have some other fun specials, like with the purchase of $300 or more, you get a free sweater,” she said, which was fitting for the chilly shopping day.
Shoppers did make their way around St. Armands Circle the morning of Nov. 28, but few carried piles of shopping bags on their strolls.
“Last year was actually better for us, surprisingly,” she said. “You would think it would be the other way around.”
Harpsoe said she was grateful to those who stopped in to peruse their lines of upscale yet fun clothing. She said the shop will be joining other St. Armands Circle businesses holding open houses at the upcoming tree lighting.
Rachel Burns with the St. Armands Circle Association said she heard
“People were certainly happy to come back out to the Circle this year, now that we’ve reopened, to see how beautiful it’s looking,” she said. She noted there are still plenty of opportunities to get holiday shopping done with local businesses, especially at the upcoming lighting of the 60-foot Christmas tree on Dec. 5 at St. Armands Circle.
Looking ahead to the new year, Burns said shop owners have said they’re simply looking forward to their status quo after managing the challenges of hurricane recovery last year.
“We’re all hoping for the return of a more normal season, and seeing everyone return and enjoy everything the Circle has to offer,” Burns said.
St. Armands Circle has seen some changes since last year’s Black Friday, including the recent reopening of the retail Tommy Bahama location at 465 John Ringling Blvd.
The next shopping deal patrons can look forward to on St. Armands Circle is the Dec. 18 “Circle the Date.” Participating restaurants and shops offer special promotions and deals on the third Thursday of the month. Visit the St. Armands Circle page on Facebook for more.
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DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Dana Kampa
Motherdaughter
team Lori and Chloe Harpsoe assist shoppers at Monkee’s of Sarasota for Black Friday.
Vegetation, striping remain on turn lane project
Country Club Shores work nears finish.
arker than any other portion of Gulf of Mexico Drive, it still faintly emits that distinct tar smell.
All that remains for the Country Club Shores turn lane project are the final touches. Touch-up “paint,” landscaping, and a few other minor details.
Some of the paint marking the lanes on the 0.89-mile segment of the project is temporary and will need “thermoplastic” striping. That’s not an invention. It’s the standard material used to mark traffic lanes on roads for decades. The material incorporates glass beads before being heated to 400-plus degrees and spread on the asphalt.
Regular paint quickly fades as car tires drive over it. Thermoplastic is
more resilient.
“Thermoplastic striping is a highly reflective, long-lasting pavement marking material that is resistant to cracking,” said David Kushnir, project manager. “Thermoplastic striping lasts up to 8 years and is embedded with reflective materials allowing for greater visibility during darkness.”
On Monday, crews placed the first thermoplastic lines along the stretch of road, and Kushnir said more is being placed nightly.
The raised concrete medians, which separate the north and southbound traffic lanes, have also had reflectors installed on either end to help drivers spot the curbs while entering or exiting Country Club Shores.
Public Works Director Charlie Mopps said the raised curbing was something FDOT insisted upon with any expansion of the state road.
“When we originally tried to go through the designing process many years ago, we tried to just do it with striping. FDOT would not allow it,” Mopps said. “They wanted the curbs because they wanted that to act as a traffic calming device. Their concern
was if we just stripe it, people would just bypass any type of queue of cars that are in there and it could create head-on collisions or people could be T-boned from somebody trying to come out.”
Inside those curbs will be landscaping and irrigation. In the medians, there will be the planting of four varieties of bromeliad, Bulbine flowers, Florida thatch palms, society garlic flowers and coontie bushes.
The plants chosen will not hamper visibility because of the low height, and the town will be responsible for maintaining the landscaping.
The contract for the project ends on the last day of the year, but the project could wrap up before then. Mopps said the current schedule the contractors are working on has them completing the job in early December.
When finished, the stretch of road may signify what Gulf of Mexico Drive could look like throughout the barrier island as the town works to turn Gulf of Mexico Drive into a “complete street,” which FDOT defines as roads that “serve the transportation needs of transpor-
Striping has started on the Country Club Shores turn lane project. The left line shows the permanent thermoplastic striping, which is more resilient and reflective than the
tation system users of all ages and abilities, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, motorists, and freight handlers,” according to a 2021 memo from the department.
“That’s really an example of what our complete streets would look like as we look to do that through the whole island except for the sidewalk piece,” Town Manager Howard Tipton said. “The street itself is representative of what complete streets look like.”
Photos by S.T. Cardinal The
Longboat GOP, Dems join together
e. dods
•
• Old Salty Dog
• Pascone’s Ristorante’
• Pesto
• Poppo’s Taqueria
• The Resort at Longboat Key Club
• Ringside at Cirque St. Armands
• Beachside
• Sara’s Italian Kitchen
• Stonewood Grill & Tavern
• Tsunami Sushi
• Tyler’s Gourmet Ice Cream
• Ventura’s Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar
• Viento Kitchen at Zota Resort PRESENTED BY DIAMOND SPONSOR
The group builds on common ground to form Miracle on the Key.
ive Democrats, six Republicans and an Independent are talking politics. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, or the prelude to a bar fight. But on Longboat Key, that’s called Miracle on the Key, and it happens about every month.
“We want more people in Longboat Key in particular to understand that a small group are able to do something here that doesn’t seem to be able to be done in Washington,” said Nick Gladding, a new member of the group and president of the Republican Club of Longboat Key. Founded shortly after the events
of Jan. 6, 2021, Miracle on the Key shows that even in a politically divided country, Longboaters can gather to discuss their differences civilly.
Lucie Lapovsky, president of the Longboat Key Democratic Club, has been a member of the group for years.
“We feel very strongly that for our country to move forward, we need to work together and see where we can agree on things,” Lapovsky said.
Robert Gary, Scott Gray, Paul Hylbert, Lynn Larson, Ed Sabol, Herb Soroca, Shawna West, Sue Jacobsen, Jeff Spalter, Jay Rixse, Lapovsky and Gladding are the current members of the group. The cast is more complicated than one group of Republicans, one group of Democrats and an Independent. Diverse backgrounds — university president, entrepreneur, federal prosecutor, environmental lawyer, to name a few — make for a diverse range of opinions and perspectives, Lapovsky said.
“We all have had different jobs,
S.T. Cardinal
Lucie Lapovsky, president of the Longboat Key Democratic Club, and Nick Gladding, president of the Republican Club of Longboat Key, are two members of Miracle on the Key, a group that aims to find common ground among hot-button political issues.
history, some grew up urban, some rural, low income, middle, high income,” Lapovsky said. “That all clearly influences the way we look at things.”
The group meets privately, sometimes virtually and sometimes in person.
Touchy subjects like immigration are not to shy away from, and there are certainly disagreements between members of the group.
“We did get hung up on the idea of masks as far as ICE and Border Patrol wearing masks,” Gladding said.
But there’s common ground, too. A main goal is finding what that is and communicating it.
Group discussions highlighted separating and determining fact from narrative. Miracle on the Key members stay in communication between meetings, sharing statistics and their perspectives on current events. Those perspectives are often different based on social media algorithms and news sources.
“If you take what was going on in Portland with ICE. The Democrats saw people in frog costumes demonstrating peacefully. The Republicans saw one person throwing something at ICE people. So we had a totally different point of view in terms of what was fed to us from the TV stations or what was written up in the newspapers of what was going on,” Lapovsky said. “So we’d share it with each other, and when we started looking at really what the facts were and what was really going on, we had more of a common ground.”
So often, instead of headlines, the members use data to guide their discussions.
Political discussions can get heated, and the group started in 2021 with a mediator on hand.
“We had the facilitator that would be there to say ‘calm down, we see we’ve hit a nerve,’ and there are places that we’ve hit nerves. There are significantly different viewpoints about our president,” Lapovsky said. “But I think there’s a level of respect. We all think everyone in the group are smart, well intentioned people.”
That mutual respect and a willingness to listen to opposing viewpoints is what makes Miracle on the Key a successful venture that has continued for almost five years.
When finding common ground,
SOME COMMON GROUND
Miracle on the Key has published several letters sharing what the group agrees upon. Below is an example of some of these policies from letters published by the group and shared with the Longboat Observer
n Establish term limits for Congress (two six-year terms for senators; three four-year terms for representatives).
n A need for an efficient, transparent process to achieve citizenship for law-abiding noncitizens already in the U.S.
n An open border is unacceptable for many reasons, primarily because we must determine who joins our population. Our borders must be secure, whether by a physical barrier or technology-driven solutions.
n Background checks should be mandatory for all gun purchases, and the age to purchase firearms should increase to 21.
n The federal government should look at ways to enhance production of low-cost alternative or renewable energy sources, but the government should rein in massive subsidies for wind power and electric vehicles.
a member of the group writes the agreement and returns to the next monthly meeting with a draft letter. Newspapers receive letters condemning political violence, enacting immigration reform and advocating for a focus on education, and the group saves them as a reminder of political agreement.
As the group continues into its fifth year, it has higher goals than letters to the editor of local publications. Gladding said he hopes they can share the group’s cross-party, agreed-upon views with Washington, Tallahassee and openly with locals. He hopes it gives the community pride.
“There are a lot of people that come down here from the East Coast or wherever for six months; we want them to see that these people at this little town may have different views, but they’re trying to work together,” Gladding said. “We just want them to see that this is a good thing for our little town.”
HOMECOMING
Sea turtles, born on Longboat, will make a 10,000-mile trek as adults to their birthplace to nest.
When a hatchling sea turtle trudges through the sand and into the Gulf, it starts an epic journey trekking thousands of miles — but when the time is right, it will return right back to its birthplace.
This year was a record for sea turtle nests on Longboat Key according to data collected from Mote Marine Laboratory, with 1,473 turtle nests recorded, the most since Mote began tracking numbers in the ’80s. It was a 17% increase from last year and more than double the amount of nests seen a decade ago. And many of the turtles that struggled onto that white-sand Longboat Key beach were born right there decades ago.
“If you’re hatched on Longboat you’re probably going to lay (a nest) on Longboat,” said Mote Marine Laboratory Staff Scientist Jake Lasala. “Sea turtles have something called natal homing, which means they can figure out where they were hatched and then they’ll come back to nest in that same area.”
It sounds straight out of a sci-fi novel when Florida Fish and Wildlife’s sea turtle research program lead Robbin Trindell describes it.
“It’s believed that when the eggs are incubating in the beach, that’s when they set what is called a magnetic map they use to tell where they are relative to that natal beach,” Trindell said. “It’s believed to be based on a magnetite crystal in their brain that is set according to the magnetic waves they sense on that beach.”
It’s a long way back for them to Longboat Key, even longer than a snowbird’s route. Trindell said sea turtles can swim, but juveniles usually rely on ocean currents to take them north over and across the Atlantic Ocean.
They typically spend about seven to 14 years on a chain of islands near Portugal, where they spend their adolescent years. They then make the trek back to the New World with a lot of help from the Canary and North Equatorial currents. They live in shoreline areas of the Gulf and the east coast of the United States before returning near their birthplace to breed, and often back to the very same beach to lay eggs. It’s about a 10,000-mile journey.
Trindell said the process of sea turtles returning to the beach where they were born to nest is a belief that’s “very common.”
It has evolutionary advantages, she said, especially for sea turtles, which have a complicated and vulnerable birthing process.
“It makes sense from a natural selection point of view that if there was an area where an animal was able to successfully develop in a nest, make it to the water and then make it offshore to their developmental habitat, then that just gives some predictability of an area where that species can find the correct resources needed for that particular point in their life cycle,” Trindell said.
It takes 20 to 30 years for sea turtles to reach breeding age. Loggerheads can live to be older than 80, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
BY THE NUMBERS
1,473
Turtle nests recorded this year, a record number
17% Increase in turtle nests over last year
10,000 miles
The typical track a sea turtle takes before returning home to lay eggs
20 to 30 years
Time it takes for sea turtles to reach breeding age
EFFORTS PAYING OFF Longboat Key Turtle Watch, founded in 1969, is seeing the fruits of its early labors as nesting numbers continue to increase. In the summer of ’69, the group saw just nine nests.
That number steadily grew over the years. Now in the quadruple digits, many of those baby turtles born decades ago are returning to the beach they were born to start the cycle over again.
Connie Schindewolf began volunteering with Turtle Watch in 1983. As one of the longest-serving volunteers, she’s become a sort of historian of the group, and times have changed as more about sea turtles have been discovered.
In the early days, they unearthed eggs. After posts marking nests began being removed and used as firewood, the volunteers began digging them up, placing them in foam coolers where they sat on volunteers’ lanais until they hatched.
“We were following guidance from the Florida Natural Resources ... We were digging every nest and we would put them into Styrofoam coolers and when they hatched we would come down to the water, stand back about 20 feet, turn the cooler over and release them and they’d go to the water,” Schindewolf said. “That’s what was going on from about 1983 to about 1990.”
After scientific studies proved that temperature during incubation directly affects the sex of sea turtles, a new method using a hatchery spanned from the late ’80s to the early ’90s where Wicker Inn is now
located.
A hatchery kept the collected eggs in a fenced area to keep predators out.
“It looked like a cemetery. This little fenced off area with a date when we thought it was going to hatch,” Schindewolf said.
Lasala with Mote thinks those hatcheries could be a reason for the large number of nests on Longboat Key today.
“I highly suspect that the reason why Longboat has such a high number of nests is because those turtles, and then those turtles’ hatchlings are coming back to the same spot that they hatched from,” Lasala said.
The methods on Longboat have changed, but volunteers still lead the way in sea turtle preservation.
Cyndi Seamon walks the beach each morning looking for tracks and nests just after sunrise during nesting season.
Seamon, vice president and board member of Longboat Key Turtle Watch, said the nonprofit organization splits the Manatee County portion of Longboat beaches into four zones, which volunteers patrol looking for tracks and signs of nests or hatches.
“In the mornings during turtle season, in the beginning of the season, we’re looking for those big crawls from the 200-pound turtles. Every single activity gets documented, every single thing gets put on a piece of paper, entered into (Mote’s) database,” Seamon said. “They are the data holders, we’re collecting it. As the season goes, then we’re checking every single nest to see if there’s any activity, whether that be a hatch or a coyote or raccoon that dug into it.”
“Sea turtles have something called natal homing, which means they can figure out where they were hatched and then they’ll come back to nest in that same area.”
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S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER
S.T. Cardinal
Cyndi Seamon, vice president and board member of Longboat Key Turtle Watch, stands next to the season’s last sea turtle nest of the year.
Courtesy image
A leatherback turtle hatchling crosses the beach.
Image courtesy of Cyndi Seamon
Mote Marine volunteers Brenda and Caleb Jameson dig up shells to count the number of hatchlings from a sea turtle nest while Cyndi Seamon (left) explains the process to onlooking residents July 21.
LBK Fitness expands facility
The gym will grow by 1,300 square feet, expanding to the space next door.
This gym “is not a meat market,” says owner Petar Sibinkic.
Definitely not a big box franchise gym, Longboat Key Fitness is discretely but conveniently located in the Publix shopping center in the heart of Longboat Key. Gymgoers chat with the sociable Sibinkic between sets. Espresso is the pour in the morning, and catching up with fellow members happens alongside lifting at LBK Fitness. That’s exactly how Sibinkic likes it.
“This place is a personality-driven
business,” he said. “It brings a sense of community.”
And the business is bulking.
The storefront next door, which has sat empty for years, soon will serve as an extension of the gym.
Strength equipment is on the way, and the wall connecting the existing fitness center will come down to enlarge the workout space.
“I’m going to focus on stretch and align and massages,” Sibinkic said, pointing to the 1,300-squarefoot space where massage chairs are already sitting.
To help reach that goal, Sibinkic placed a call to Hong Kong, where Chris Watts has been practicing active isolated stretching for years at Motion Dynamics Ltd., the company he founded in 2012.
“His years of transforming the lives of Asia’s busy CEOs and entrepreneurs led to this new, more systematic approach to rehabituate the body structure,” according to the
IF YOU GO
LONGBOAT KEY FITNESS
Where: 511 Bay Isles Parkway
What: A vast majority of business comes from personal training n 30 minutes personal training: $75
n 1 hour personal training: $120
n 1 hour couples personal training: $150
n 1 hour pilates: $120 n 30 minutes stretching: $90 n 1 hour stretching: $150
Info: Visit LongBoatKeyFitness.com.
Motion Dynamics website.
In the rear of the expanded outparcel will be a separate stretching area and two massage rooms. Watts, who will serve as lead therapist with LBK Fitness, will use his expertise as a “master stretcher” to help LBK Fitness clients, Sibinkic said. His mentorship came decades ago from his friend, Aaron Mattes, who now has a therapy clinic located off Bee Ridge Road. Before that, Watts was a chef and a scuba diver trainer. Watts will work with Ann Miller and Luz Watts with the stretch and align program. Kathleen “Kitty” Galica is the gym’s Doctor of Physical Therapy. The gym also has 12 trainers and three massage therapists. Sibinkic said he believes the expansion of his gym should be complete by the end of the year.
2000 Sydney Olympics. Sibinkic competed in the canoe sprint. Sibinkic grew up kayaking, living next to a river and getting into the sport in elementary school. He kayaked 20 miles a day in his teens. In 1996, he represented Serbia and Montenegro as a 20-year-old. He competed in the canoe sprint and placed eighth in the semifinals. In 2000, he represented Bulgaria, placing fifth in the 1,000-meter canoe sprint and eighth in the 500-meter canoe sprint. Now, he’s the outgoing face of Longboat Key Fitness, which features a team of 12 trainers.
GYM OWNER A FORMER OLYMPIAN
Longboat Key Fitness owner and trainer Petar Sibinkic is a former Olympic athlete, representing his home country of Serbia in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and representing Bulgaria in the
Longboat Key Fitness is located in the Publix shopping Center at 511 Bay Isles Parkway.
Photos by S.T. Cardinal
Petar Sibinkic is the owner and a trainer at Longboat Key Fitness.
Concierge primary care provider finds new home
Reed Medical Group moving into corner suite of the Publix shopping center.
Reed Medical Group is working to move into a permanent home after Hurricane Helene displaced the concierge primary care doctor’s office.
After 4.5 feet of water flooded its original home, Dr. James Reed and staff moved into a temporary space at the former Tidewell building.
“The Paradise Center had some space that they could sublease to us, and we could temporarily work out of that office,” said Chief Operating Officer Angie Weaver. “Meanwhile, we were trying to find our home.”
That home will be at the Shoppes of Bay Isles complex with Publix and CVS. Weaver said the opportunity to move into the space at the complex came after they had discussions with Petar Sibinkic, of Longboat Key Fitness, who is expanding his gym.
“But he didn’t need the entire space that was available. So we just chatted and decided we’d take half, and he’d take the other half,” Weaver said. “So we’ve been working on this project since about the beginning of the year to build out that space.”
The 1,300-square-foot space will have three exam rooms, a reception and waiting area and a nurse’s station. Reed decided to open an office
on Longboat Key when he was working in West Bradenton. He saw a need among Longboat patients for a doctor providing follow-up care.
The primary care office offers “concierge acute care,” as the practice’s website describes it. Concierge care requires an annual membership fee, Weaver said, and treatments are included with that fee. Insurance is not involved in the process.
“You don’t need to wait for insurance to approve the injection or approve whatever you need to have done in the office. We can just do it
Christmas in the Garden 2025
A Celebration of Lights and Music
November 30 - December 31, 2025 | 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Special Performances at 6:00pm | Performances Have Limited Seating
Admission Free
Lido Beach Commodores
Dec� 4th
Jazz Ensemble (Garden)
Sarasota Academy of the Arts Chorus Dec� 9th
Bryan Eagan, Director (Sanctuary)
Fort Lonesome Dec� 11th
Featuring Robbie Ahlbrandt, Country Western Singer (Garden)
John Patti Dec� 15th
Steel Pan Artist (Garden)
Brian Gurl Trio Dec� 16th
Piano, Violin, Cello (Sanctuary)
Alyssa Adamson, Soprano & Stephen Fancher, Piano Dec� 19th
Pine View Elementary School Chorus ���������������������������������������������������������������������((Sanctuary)
Boris & Sax Dec� 22nd
Saxophone Artist ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������(((((((((Garden)
New Year’s Eve
The Voice of Solid Gold, John Rinell (Fellowship Hall)
Complimentary Heavy Appetizers
(This evening’s entertainment begins at 4:30 pm) Donations Appreciated!
Christmas Eve Communion & Candlelight Service Wednesday, December 24 • 5:00 pm
right then and there if the physician sees that it’s necessary,” Weaver said.
Concierge care avoids the hassle of dealing with a bureaucratic middle man and can sometimes have comparable costs to insurance-based coverage, Weaver said.
“People see the dollar signs, but what they don’t see is the $500 a month for their insurance premium, and they still have to pay a deductible on top of that for certain services,” Weaver said. “So you’re actually at the end of the day kind of paying the same amount.”
Reed Medical Group and neighboring Longboat Key Fitness could be a win-win for the businesses. The physicians at the practice encourage their patients to stay healthy, and being right next to a gym and pharmacy (CVS) is convenient.
“Some patients are just looking for something preventative, which is why Petar (Sibinkic with Longboat Key Fitness) is such a great resource,” Weaver said. “We work pretty closely with him encouraging patients to stay healthy and fit with exercise and nutrition.”
Publix anchors The Shoppes at Bay Isles. To the left, Longboat Key Fitness is expanding and Reed Medical Group is moving into the corner unit.
S.T. Cardinal
FRIDAY,
3:28
unfamiliar boat on his boat lift. Police arrived and used the boat’s hull identification number to find and call the registered owner. The owner of the suspicious boat said he just had the boat serviced and that the boat dealer and service company must have delivered his boat to the wrong lift by accident. The police put the property owner and boat owner into contact to coordinate the reparking of the boat. The case was closed.
SATURDAY, NOV. 22
SNAKE SCARE
SIDEWALKS WITH ‘A LONG BLADE’
2:50 a.m., 2091 Gulf of Mexico Drive
12:39 a.m., 1955 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Animal problem: Police were called to an apartment building after a report of a snake being seen in an apartment. The officer arrived on scene to find a snake under a plastic container. He removed the corn snake from the unit and closed the case.
SUNDAY, NOV. 23
SMALL BAGGIE WITH WHITE SUBSTANCE FOUND
1:35 p.m., 1601 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious incident: Police were called to a resort when staff members discovered a clear plastic bag with a white substance inside. They had seen movies before and suspected they may have stumbled upon an illicit substance. Police arrived and inspected the contraband, which the police report described as a “brownish-colored substance with small amounts of glitter” in such a miniscule quantity that they could not weigh the substance. Police determined via experience that what he was looking at was definitely not cocaine or any other illegal substance and appeared instead to be beach sand. Regardless, the officer delivered the substance to police headquarters and found negative results. The case was closed.
Suspicious person: Police were called by someone who wished to remain anonymous who said they saw a 6-foottall man walking up and down the sidewalk with “what appeared to be a long blade,” according to a police report. Police arrived on scene where they saw a nearby resident armed not with a samurai sword, but with a multitool. Police closed the case.
MONDAY, NOV. 24
A BIG FAN OF THE MOVEMENT
6:58 a.m., 444 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious vehicle: A camper parked in front of a video streaming platform’s headquarters prompted a call to police by security. When police arrived, they made contact with the man operating the camper, who said he parked there since midnight and was waiting for the business to open so he could meet with anyone at the company as he was a big supporter of their movement. The camper itself was “completely covered” in Charlie Kirk and President Trump posters, flags, stickers, hats and memorabilia, according to the report. Police told the man that unannounced visits were not welcome, that he was on private property and could be violating the town’s overnight camping ordinance. The man was completely cooperative and left without incident after a discussion with police and security. The case was closed.
WORSHIP directory
Bridge club shifts matches to Bayfront Park
Formerly at The Paradise Center, the club has a larger facility.
IF YOU GO
LONGBOAT KEY
DUPLICATE
BRIDGE CLUB
When: 1 p.m.
Thursdays and Fridays Where: Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive Cost: $11. Reservations required Info: Contact organizer Patty Mayer at 262215-2566 or PattySarasota33@ gmail.com.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Patty Mayer has been organizing Longboat Key’s popular bridge matches for about four years.
When The Paradise Center announced last spring it would be moving from its Bay Isles home, Mayer wasn’t entirely sure what the future of the bridge club would be. However, Mayer said she knows how much this club means to residents, and she endeavored to find a way to keep it going.
“I just love bridge, and there’s a demand for a game here,” she said when asked what motivated her to keep it going. “They’re sad when I leave in May and want me to stay all summer. People like the socialization, and they love the game.”
Mayer said The Paradise Center did extend an invitation to continue holding the bridge club in the new location at Longboat Island Chapel. However, when she weighed the additional distance some members would have to travel and the changes from their former subletting arrangements, she decided it was time to find something different.
After a bit of searching, she landed at Longboat’s Bayfront Park
Recreation Center.
She is grateful to The Paradise Center for hosting them over the years. One change she does look forward to, though, is having the space to accommodate more players at all experience levels. Last year, she had a maximum of 12 tables with a waiting list. Now, she thinks she potentially could handle up to 18 tables, as long as she can still smoothly manage the matches.
“I have room to grow in a nice space,” she said. Mayer started making the move in early November, and she said with available kitchen, storage and restroom facilities, it has been a great fit.
“We’ve had a couple games, and I think it’s going to work out just fine,” she said. “I’m hoping for a good season.” Because the matches are indoors, the group should be able to continue meeting in the face of most weather. Mayer plans to host meetings every Thursday and Friday, excluding major holidays.
She noted the matches are still American Contract Bridge Leaguecertified under her administration. Updates are on the club profile page at My.ACBL.org.
Dana Kampa
SMOOTH ART
FROM A
RUFF IDEA
A pup named Ziggy stands tall in St. Armands mural.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Alocal celebrity is being recognized with artistic immortalization at a shop on St. Armands Circle.
Gauthier Salon & Wellness Spa is celebrating its third year of operating on the Key, and as part of the festivities, the owners commissioned a mural on a wall near the entrance, featuring the famous Ziggy.
Sonia and Serge Gauthier said they hope to help bring more artistic talent to St. Armands Key. Their first undertaking is with muralist Ludmil Iliev, who recently painted his first piece in the Sarasota area at the shop.
When it came to finding inspiration for the piece, Iliev said with his focus on animal portraits, celebrating the Gauthier’s dog was logical.
“When I came to see the wall, I saw Ziggy, and I thought it made more sense, instead of painting a tiger or something, to work with the live model right in front of me,” he said.
Those who have visited the salon before have likely already met the 9-year-old Australian shepherd, who is happy to give customers a tail wag in exchange for belly rubs. Sonia noted Ziggy has a gentle disposition and training as a service dog.
She said they couldn’t have imagined anything better to decorate their business than Ziggy.
“When he first drew it on the wall, we hadn’t seen it beforehand and didn’t know what he was going to do exactly,” she said. “When Serge and I first looked at it — I still get shivers — I teared up because it was my baby. Everybody loves their animals with unconditional love. To see him in such a ginormous format, I just loved it. But then to see the quality, too, at every step was great.”
Iliev, who originally hails from Bulgaria, recently moved to Southwest Florida traveling extensively throughout Europe, Africa and North America. He has painted a piece in the St. Petersburg area, but the mural at the St. Armands shop is his first in the area.
His portrait style is based in realism, but he likes to add a softer, dream-like element over adhering strictly to photorealism.
“It can be tricky because you’re trying to capture the soul of the animal, not just the visual appearance,” he said. “But, you do still want to be accurate structurally.”
He added, “Ziggy is a real character.”
Little touches like flipping the original composition sketch to face the entrance, just like Ziggy does when customers arrive, are what contribute to making a mural that tells the animal’s story, he said. Even with the scale of the fullwall mural, he was able to finish the painting in two-and-a-half days.
Iliev paints the full gamut of the animal kingdom in oil paints, watercolor and sketches. He started doing wall paintings around 2001.
“You draw and paint what you love,” he noted. “I’ve been doing these portraits for many years now, and I never get tired of it. I always find something interesting. I may have seen many dogs before, but I’ve never seen Ziggy.”
He said he focuses his attention on animals because he appreciates
IF YOU GO
GAUTHIER SALON & WELLNESS SPA
Where: 369 St. Armands Circle
When: Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and by appointment on Saturdays and Mondays.
Info: Call 941-388-5500 or visit Gauthier.salon for more information.
the challenge of bringing them to life with his two-dimensional works.
Whenever possible, he endeavors to find inspiration from live sources, like at local parks and zoos, rather than attempting to re-create a photo.
“It’s like with painting, drawing or taking a photo of humans,” he added.
“Each one is different.”
Iliev said he would love to see more murals enliven Longboat Key and Sarasota, especially considering how vibrant the local art scene is.
Sonia said it is hard to believe it has already been three years since she and her husband moved to the area from Quebec. They shared the story of their move on the Canadian reality television show “The Big Move.”
Reflecting on their first years in business, Sonia said they have appreciated getting to connect with community members and watch the St. Armands area evolve from their eagle-eyed view on the second floor.
The Gauthiers said art fans have plenty to look forward to at the salon, including a pending installation by the artist behind the Tiny Doors installations.
Those who want to see more of Ludmil Iliev’s work can visit IDrawAnimals.com or follow his Instagram account, LudmilIliev. Inquiries can be emailed to Hello@IDrawAnimals. com.
Photos by Dana Kampa
Serge and Sonia Gauthier, owners of Gauthier Salon & Wellness Center, commissioned artist Ludmil Iliev (right), joined by Vladi Iliev, to paint a mural inspired by shop greeter Ziggy.
Ziggy, the Australian shepherd who is in charge of greeting customers at Gauthier Salon & Wellness Spa, poses next to his new portrait by muralist Ludmil Iliev.
It’s Christmas time in the garden
Hot chocolate was flowing and lights were twinkling at the opening night of Christmas in the Garden on Nov. 30 outside Longboat Island Chapel.
Attendees said the seasonal celebration was the perfect way to dive into the holidays, especially with the number of Christmas trees on display this year. The Rev. Brock Patterson welcomed visitors while they meandered among pathways flanked by more than 30 trees decorated by a variety of local organizations, businesses and individuals.
“We have a lot of great events in store for you this season, including many great shows,” he said.
Island Breeze members Greg Anderson and Steve Quinn brought their musical talents to the garden’s gazebo, playing classics like “Silver Bells” as well as more contemporary tunes like those from the movie “Polar Express.” Christmas in the Garden continues throughout the month at Longboat Island Chapel. Musical performances begin at 6 p.m. at 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Dates include Dec. 4, 9, 11, 15, 16, 19, 22 and 31. Entry is free, but the chapel invites donations. Visit the chapel’s Facebook page for the full lineup.
— DANA KAMPA
Photos by Dana Kampa
Sheila Loccisano, who runs the Follow Me to Longboat
Key pages on multiple social media platforms, decorated her tree at Christmas in the Garden with photos of familiar faces from around the island.
Musical performances will continue throughout the month on certain nights at Christmas in the Garden outside Longboat Island Chapel.
Greg Anderson and Steve Quinn bring their musical talent to the opening night of Christmas in the Garden on Nov. 30 at Longboat Island Chapel.
Becky Lietzau helps community members pick an ornament to hang on the communal tree centrally located at Christmas in the Garden.
Bayfront Park pickleball player Karen Vito presents a check to Longboat Island Chapel’s the Rev. Brock Patterson.
Saturday, Dec. 4 | 7pm Don’t
Come Start Your Holiday Season With Us!
Lighted floats, carolers, dancers, local high school marching bands, area churches, nonprofits, local businesses, and last, but certainly not least, Santa and Mrs. Claus! Bring the whole family to this treasured community tradition. Arrive early, bring your lawn chairs and get ready for a festive evening. Start: Main St. & Washington
Saturday, Dec. 4 | 7pm
not least, Santa and Mrs. Claus! Bring the whole family to this treasured community tradition. Arrive early, bring your lawn chairs and get ready for a festive evening.
Start: Main St. & Washington Blvd.
End: Gulfstream Ave.
IF YOU GO
LAWN PARTY BY THE BAY
When: Noon to 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 6
Where: Ken Thompson Park, 1700 Ken Thompson Parkway. Tickets: $75 for general admission, which includes entry, food and drinks for one person.
Info: Visit LBKLawnParty.org for more information.
Art for a cause
forming his original photography into multidimensional works combined with laser-cut metal and other materials. He is from Ohio and maintains a studio in Sarasota. Visit CollinRowlandArt.com.
Armstrong Coffin also works in mixed media. She recently utilized discarded materials from the power lines coming down on Longboat Key for her art to creatively highlight the undergrounding work taking place on the island. But she also extends her talents to other projects, including her children’s book illustrations. Visit LArmstrongArt.com.
6 Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key-hosted foodie event at Ken Thompson Park. Lacroix is a figurative expressionist artist who was born in Quebec and raised in a French family. She learned from painter Frère Jérôme Paradis and developed her own style while working in his studio at the Collège Notre-Dame de Montréal. She later continued her studies at the Ringling College of Art and Design and opened her own Sarasota-based space, Studio Lacroix. Visit ArtByLacroix.com for more info. Rowland focuses on contemporary mixed-media art, often trans-
Organizers will also be auctioning a colorful illustration of the Statue of Liberty, titled “Nine Liberties,” by psychedelic pop artist Max. He conceived the piece as a way to honor the country to which he immigrated as a teenager. His works are now part of permanent collections in presidential libraries and U.S. embassies worldwide.
Proceeds from the Lawn Party benefit the Children’s Guardian Fund, a 501(c)(3) group that responds to the needs of children in foster care. Learn more about the group’s mission at ChildrensGuardianFund.org.
Local artists bring new exhibition to Lawn Party by the Bay.
Anne Vose and Jackie Donnelly peruse the works of artist Marie Therese Lacroix, center. Dana Kampa
anet Peavy told attendees of her recent meet-and-greet at Three Island Monkeys she often lets the shapes and colors of the seashells she uses in her art guide her vision.
“I’ve always been intrigued by anything to do with the ocean,” she said.
Peavy recently debuted her work at the Longboat Key shop. From the intricately layered scales of a mermaid tail to the circular suction cups of an octopus, meticulously placed shells make up the core of her artwork.
She has lived in the Lakewood Ranch area for the past year and a half, and she often travels along the coast, on beaches and in shops in search of shells for her artwork.
“I remember the first time walking into Darlene’s Shells. I was like a kid in a candy shop,” she said.
Peavy also has a more personal supplier. Her daughter often dives in the area, and anytime she finds a sand dollar shell, she picks it up for her mom.
One of her favorite seasonal projects lately has been painting shellbased ornaments featuring herons, flamingos and other figures from nature.
Peavy has fully embraced her new career as an artist after retiring from being a shipping logistics coordinator, reigniting a love she’s had since winning a high school art contest.
“I never thought it was good enough for someone to tell me they wanted to sell my work in their shop,” Peavy reflected. “It is very validating and nice.”
Fans of her work can keep up with her latest creations on social media by the name Ocean Inspired Creations.
“I never really did anything with it because I got right into the working world,” she said. She said she finds it therapeutic to sit down with her materials and let nature’s beauty inspire her. Peavy is still new to the local art scene. She didn’t find the timing right to launch her work in the wake of last year’s hurricanes, but she started dabbling in local art shows over the summer and was glad to connect with shop owner Brigette Kubin through them.
Wondering about:
•
Photos by Dana Kampa
Artist Janet Peavy draws inspiration for her art from oceanic nature, often letting the shells she finds guide her work. She recently debuted her newest pieces at Three Island Monkeys.
Artist Janet Peavy painted a variety of ornaments for her debut at Three Island Monkeys.
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Holistic Healing & Wellness Center, 595 Bay Isles Road. View works by local artists at the latest Art on the Gulf open house. Guests will enjoy bubbly refreshments, light bites and a curated showcase of local artists, writers and designers. Cocktail hour is from 4:30-7 p.m. Free. Email Info@ MedgeJaspan.com or call 941-2999399 with questions.
SATURDAY, DEC. 6
LAWN PARTY BY THE BAY
Noon to 2:30 p.m. at Ken Thompson Park, 1700 Ken Thompson Parkway. Hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key, this annual foodie event promises to be bigger than ever. Tickets are available online at LBKLawnParty.org. Capacity is limited, and tickets will only be available at the door if not sold out early.
CHRISTMAS TEA AND CONCERT
3 p.m. at All Angels by the Sea Episcopal Church, 563 Bay Isles Road. Tune in to a Christmas music concert followed by a tea. Cost is $30.
LIGHTING OF THE DOCKS
6 p.m. at Longboat Harbour, 4454 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Watch as holiday celebrants light up the waters of the harbor with festive lights. Fundraiser benefits Toys for Tots. Be sure to vote on your favorite dock.
SUNDAY, DEC. 7
HANUKKAH OPEN HOUSE
2-4 p.m. at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road. Celebrate the Festival of Lights at this annual open house and market. Activities include cookie decorating, dreidel games for kids, music, door prize giveaways and more. Free and open to the public. Reservations are not needed but appreciated at Info@LongboatKeyTemple.org or 941-383-3428.
CHRISTMAS BAZAAR AND BAKE SALE
9 a.m. at Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Holiday festivities start at 9 a.m., pause for worship from 10-11 a.m., then resume until noon.
BEST BET FRIDAY, DEC. 5
NIGHT OF LIGHTS
5:30-8:30 p.m. at St. Armands Circle Park, 440 St. Armands Circle. Bring a blanket or chair to take in the 47th annual lighting of St. Armands Circle. Enjoy dance performances by Sarasota Academy of the Arts and sing along with carolers while waiting for Santa to arrive for the big countdown to lighting the 60-foot tree. Free.
RECURRING EVENTS
TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS
LONGBOAT LIBRARY
10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 555 Bay Isles Road. Call 941-383-2011.
TUESDAYS POP-UP LIBRARY
10 a.m. at the Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road. The Sarasota County Pop-Up Library hosts services on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, with storytime beginning at 10:30 a.m., with other services available from 10-11:30 a.m.
MAHJONG
1-3 p.m. at Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Seasoned mahjong players can join a weekly, prearranged game at The Paradise Center in a noncompetitive atmosphere. RSVP required. Email Amy@TheParadiseCenter.org or call 941-383-6493.
File image
Waylon Wilson chats with Santa Claus at the St. Armands Holiday Night of Lights.
Bird Key home tops week’s sales at $6.55 million
ADAM HUGHES
RESEARCH EDITOR
David and Tracy Warren, of Orlando, sold their home at 612 Mourning Dove Drive to Donald Scarlett Jr., trustee, of Sarasota, for $6.55 million. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, five-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,886 square feet of living area.
RESIDENCES AT LONGBOAT KEY
Richard and Constance Croasdaile, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, sold their Unit 617 condominium at 1591 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Daniel Schulmann, of Longboat Key, for $4.5 million. Built in 2024, it has two bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 3,119 square feet of living area. It sold for $4,294,000 in 2024.
VIZCAYA AT LONGBOAT KEY
Terri Lee Swartz and Kathy Lynn Weaver, trustees of Longboat Key, sold the Unit 1A3 condominium at 2333 Gulf of Mexico Drive to W.A.S. Tower L.B.K. LLC for $3.35 million. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 3,060 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,456,000 in 1997.
EMERALD HARBOR
John Louis Olliges and Mary Olliges sold their home at 781 Binnacle Point Drive to Jennifer Anderson and Steven Anderson, trustees, of Longboat Key, for $2.55 million. Built in 1976, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,269 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.7 million in 2022.
L’ELEGANCE ON LIDO BEACH
Maurina and Michael Rachuba, of Sarasota, sold their Unit B-408 condominium at 1800 Benjamin Franklin Drive to James and Patricia Ludwig, of Sarasota, for $1,449,000. Built in 1996, it has
three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,700 square feet of living area. It sold for $820,000 in 2020.
LONGBOAT KEY
Gary Lee Tost, trustee, of Longboat Key, sold the home at 784 Saint Judes Drive N. to Gail Russell and John Mark Smith, trustees of Longboat Key, for $1.15 million. Built in 1959, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,740 square feet of living area. It sold for $636,000 in 2018.
THE PROMENADE
Barbara Schwartz, of Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, sold the Unit 702E condominium at 1211 Gulf of Mexico Drive to David Yvars, trustee, of University Park, for $1.1 million. Built in 1985, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,100 square feet of living area. It sold for $470,000 in 2003.
HARBOUR OAKS II
Pom Florida Properties LLC sold the home at 2358 Harbour Oaks Drive to Lewis Baker Shepley Jr. and Jennifer Jean Shepley, of Ballwin, Missouri, for $980,000. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths and 2,374 square feet of living area.
WESTCHESTER CONDOMINIUM APARTMENTS
Douglas Brown, trustee, of Saraso-
TOP BUILDING PERMITS
ta, sold the Unit 105 condominium at 4805 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Sheila Marie Norden and Stacey Lee Norden Jr. and Carolyn Norden, of Longboat Key, for $705,000. Built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,393 square feet of living area. It sold for $608,000 in 2015.
REVISED LONGBEACH
Margaret Walker, of Sarasota, sold her home at 7061 Longboat Drive E. to 7061 Longboat Dr E LLC for $700,000. Built in 1920, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,376 square feet of living area. It sold for $112,000 in 1991.
FAIRWAY BAY
Ann Caruso Marsh, trustee, of Los Angeles, sold the Unit 432 condominium at 2020 Harbourside Drive to Christopher and Roberta McGuigan, of Huntington, New York, for $650,000. Built in 1984, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,192 square feet of living area. It sold for $310,000 in 2012.
LIDO HARBOUR TOWERS
The home at 612 Mourning Dove Drive was built in 2022 and has four bedrooms, five-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 4,886 square feet of living area.
Gail Fowler, of Sarasota, sold her Unit 407 condominium at 1770 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Richard James Van Lill and Carolyn Lee Crane, of The Villages, for $627,500. Built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,207 square feet of living area. It sold for $450,000 in 2017.
CLUB LONGBOAT BEACH AND TENNIS
Gerald Daly, of Quebec, Canada, sold the Unit 422 condominium at 5055 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Cesar Zevallos and Tibbie Farnsworth, of Tampa, for $625,000. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,484 square feet of living area. It sold for $382,000 in 2012.
BUNDLES OF JOY by CJ Tan, edited by Jared Goudsmit
By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people,
Billy Gillispie took this photo of a powerful sky over the Gulf of America.
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