Longboat Observer 3.18.21

LONGBOAT

Observer Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978

Stepping away from the keys. PAGE 1B

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

VOLUME 43, NO. 32

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YOUR TOWN

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Higher and drier Town project plans to raise the level of Lyons Lane. PAGE 5A

Courtesy photo

Egg-citing time

The waiting game for cygnets on Longboat Key has begun again.

Swans Clark and Greta, who have been on the island for several years without a successful nesting season, have four eggs in their 2021 nest.

The Gracie Swan Foundation, led by David Novak, looks after the Longboat Key swans.

There are three pairs: Clark and Greta, Nik and Lacy, and newcomers Chuck and Margie. Gracie Swan Foundation employee Renee Odell has looked for the nests of the latter two pairs but hasn’t found them yet. As for the already-laid nest, Greta should sit on it until late April or early May. Although Greta and Clark hatched one chick last year, Longboat Key hasn’t seen a cygnet through to adulthood in several years.

FIRED UP TO FINISH Rebuilding of Station 92 enters its final stages.

PAGE 3A Mark Bergin

Jon F. Swift Construction superintendent Shane Hamm is running the project to build a new Fire Station 92.

Courtesy photo

Clean getaway

Maybe Greer Island’s new nickname should be Hard Seltzer Can Island, not Beer Can Island.

Surfrider Foundation and Keep Manatee Beautiful volunteers had their monthly cleanup March 13 with the help of town residents and found beach litterbugs have a fondness for the trendy drinks.

Empty cans of White Claw, Truly and Vizzy seltzers were among the top items picked up, along with the usual suspects of soda cans and discarded flip-flops. The next cleanup will be 9 a.m.

April 18 at the beach access at 100 N. Shore Road.

By the way, alcohol is forbidden on town beaches.

More than just golf Two women’s groups tee it up to raise $58,000.

SEE PAGE 20A

Courtesy photo

‘Dream job’ Nat Kaemmerer

Lynne Koy and Carolyn Kief, decked out in pink, joined the Go For the Cure golf outing at Harbourside.

Trusted mail carrier did more than deliver.

SEE PAGE 12A

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Commission to vote on mask mandate Anticipated Completion Early 2022

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extend the mask ordinance for 90 days; first at the end of August 2020 and then again in November.

The town can still enforce its mask policy as it relates to private businesses even though Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended individual fines and penalties related to local mask ordinances.

On Feb. 17, the Sarasota City Commission voted against extending its mandatory mask ordinance, with several city commissioners citing DeSantis’ decision as the reason why. The city of Sarasota’s mandatory mask mandate ended Feb. 25.

On March 15, Sarasota commissioners reconsidered their vote but failed to carry the required 4-1 majority over questions of enforcement.

In Longboat Key, many businesses started their own mask polices before the town began requiring them ahead of the July 4, 2020, holiday weekend.

In the past 12 months, 197 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in people calling Longboat Key home, peaking in January when 46 residents tested positive. In February, 31 tested positive, and in March there have been four cases through March 13.

State health department data indicates 5,072 people from the town’s ZIP code have received at least one COVID-19 vaccines.

Florida lowered its age requirement from 65 to 60 to receive COVID-19 vaccines on Monday.

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The Longboat Key Town Commission is set to hold an emergency meeting this month to discuss extending the town’s mandatory mask ordinance.

The emergency meeting is planned for 10 a.m. Monday, March 22.

“The new commission can address the expiring mask ordinance, so we’ll work with [Town Attorney] Maggie [Mooney] on that, but we’re looking to have that right after the statutory meeting,” Town Manager Tom Harmer said. “That will give us the latest information possible before we go into that meeting.”

At the statutory meeting, Penny Gold will be sworn in as the District 2 commissioner, and Debra Williams will be sworn in as the District 4 commissioner.

Incumbent District 2 Commissioner George Spoll opted not to run again, and incumbent District 4 Commissioner Jack Daly reached term limits.

Longboat Key leaders have yet to decide how long the mandatory mask extension would last if it gets approved.

Town commissioners have unanimously voted twice to

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An emergency meeting is set for March 22.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

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ALMOST HOME Town’s new fire station is expected to be ready for crews to live and work in by late May. MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

T

he town’s new fire station is nearing completion with features and facilities never before offered to first responders on the island.

During a tour of the site, at 2162 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Fire Chief Paul Dezzi said the plan is to open around the third week of May. “Seeing what we forecasted or what we wanted coming to what it is today, here it is,” Dezzi said.

“A thing on a piece of paper is now becoming a reality.”

Since the demolition of the old fire station in June 2020, southside firefighters have operated out of a trailer on the property.

“It’s very tight quarters. You have up to five guys in there at one time,” Dezzi said. “However, knowing that this has come to fruition and that there’s an endpoint to it, and they walk through [the construction site], and they see it, they know that they’re getting a good station.”

Dezzi said all 38 members of the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department have had to adapt because renovations are also going on at Station 91 while firefighters continue to operate there.

The total cost of the project is $5.06 million, Town Projects Manager Charlie Mopps said.

Jon F. Swift Construction Superintendent Shane Hamm oversees the Fire Station 92 project. The Sarasota-based company has worked on a variety of projects in the area, including several Sarasota County schools.

“Shane has been interacting with these firefighters on a daily basis, and they’ve been getting updates from him, and they’re

Photos by Mark Bergin

Above: Jon F. Swift Construction Superintendent Shane Hamm and Fire Chief Paul Dezzi discuss what the new kitchen area will look like.

Top: Fire trucks, ambulances and vehicles will be able to pull into one of three garages.

$807,000

Station 91 renovation (north side)

$4.25 million

Station 92 demolition and renovation (south side)

very excited about just having a new, fresh place to stay,” said Jon F. Swift Construction’s marketing and operations director, Emmalee Legler.

Legler also complimented Sweet Sparkman Architecture and Interiors for the project’s functionality and architecture.

“You can see the front is not a traditional fire department or firehouse,” Legler said. “It’s got this really cool elongated wall, and the entrance is not even on the front of the building. It’s on the side.”

Hamm called it an honor to work on the project, his first fire station with the company. “[There are] hundreds of people that pass every day, and they stop and talk,” Hamm said. “And

everybody is tickled how the progress is, how fast it’s going, and they can see the end result, and they see what’s coming.

“I haven’t received one negative statement from anybody in passing, and they all talk every day.”

In addition to the entrance on the south side of the building, the new fire station has many distinct features. It includes a decontamination area, so firefighters returning from a call can clean and shower to do their best to remove possible carcinogens.

The new fire station is going to be about 3,100 square feet larger than the previous 7,300-squarefoot building, which was built in 1986.

“We’ll have a treatment center where people can physically go into a building, come into the building and be treated for their injuries or what have you,” Dezzi said. Dezzi said the town looked at the possibility of a different site for the new fire station but said the current location is best.

Data shows it takes the town’s first responders an average of five minutes or less to arrive on an

emergency scene.

Fire trucks, ambulances and other vehicles will be able to pull forward, around the back of the building and into one of the station’s three new garages instead of backing in.

The building will also feature living facilities for both men and women, which the old south-side station didn’t have.

Both the south- and north-side stations will be built to withstand 160 mph winds.

The new building sits a little higher than the one it replaces, in keeping with FEMA codes.

The new building will also have an indoor gym for firefighters.

“The residents of Longboat Key and the commissions can rest assured that they are going to have a world-class facility here,” Legler said. “Their tax dollars are spent very wisely.”

Dezzi, Legler and Hamm also thanked the Longboat Key Club for allowing them to use part of the Harbourside Golf Course to ensure the Station 92 project gets done properly.

Hamm said he was thankful for the relationships the town has formed with the Jon F. Swift Construction workers.

“Everybody at Swift is treated like family,” Hamm said. “We’ve become part of the fire department family, and they’ve become part of ours.”

Dezzi’s twin sons work at the city of North Port’s Fire Station 85.

“Station 85 is very similar to [Station 92], and the architect, Todd Sweet, who designed this fire station [also] designed that fire station,” Dezzi said. “The station down there currently is the newest one, and they call it The Resort. This is a better one, so it’s a resort in my eyes as well.”

Perhaps there are some bragging rights between the municipalities’ fire stations, at least in the Dezzi family.

“You can share that with the chief down there,” Dezzi said with a smile.

TIMELINE MARCH 20, 2018 Voters approved funding for replacement of Station 92 and renovation of Station 91 MARCH 26, 2019 Sweet Sparkman engaged as architect of both fire station projects FEBRUARY TO MARCH 2020 Plans finalized for temporary housing on site of Station 92 MARCH TO APRIL 2020 Bids and guaranteed maximum prices finalized Contracts amended to construction phases from previous design/ development phases JUNE 2020 Demolition started and south-side firefighters began living in a temporary trailer JULY 2020 Construction began MAY 2021 Projects expected to be completed

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Residents can now enroll in Virtual IntroLBK 2021

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The free classes about town government are available March 23-25 on Zoom.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the town to scrap the live version of its Citizens Academy in favor of a virtual class later this month.

The town will offer “IntroLBK 2021,” free 90-minute classes set to start at 9 a.m. March 23-25 on Zoom.

“It’s a great opportunity [for residents] to learn more about their town government,” Town Manager Tom Harmer said.

Harmer said IntroLBK 2021 is a condensed version of the Citizens Academy, which is typically a sixweek, in-person class.

“With the pandemic, we’re just not in a position to offer that same type of format, but we didn’t want the year to go by without some opportunity for our residents to learn more about the services that we provide and how we provide them,” Harmer said.

The three-day course will teach residents about the town, how it is structured, what services it provides, how it provides those services and how it’s funded.

“It’s designed in a way that

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they’ll have a chance to meet some of the staff and department heads in a Q&A format,” Harmer said.

Harmer said each session will be a one-hour presentation concluding with 30 minutes of questions.

“We’ve had several members of either P&Z or commission who have either gone through the program or sat through a portion of it,” Harmer said. “I do think it’s a great opportunity for anyone that’s interested in being more engaged, whether it’s as a commissioner or an advisory board member or even a volunteer for the town.”

Harmer said Mayor Ken Schneier and outgoing Commissioner Ed Zunz attended several of the Citizens Academy sessions in the past. Commissioner-elect Penny Gold and Planning and Zoning Board member Jay Plager went through the Citizens Academy, too.

“We always learn something in the class from the students,” Harmer said. “They always have great questions, but they may have experienced something or have a question we haven’t thought about before or in a long time.”

To register, email Susan Phillips at SPhillips@LongboatKey. org, or call town hall at 316-1999.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

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Lyons Lane project will help flooding Plans include raising the elevation of the road, which is one of the lowest on Longboat.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

Rain and high tides have caused flooding for years on Longboat Key’s north end.

It has prompted the town to begin plans of raising the elevation of Lyons Lane to mitigate some of the flooding the neighborhood has experienced.

The street runs northeast from its intersection with Gulf of Mexico Drive, just north of Christ Church, with 21 homes and a canal on the south side and vegetation to the north.

Public Works Director Isaac Brownman said the town decided to take action given the frequency and significance of flooding along Lyons Lane.

“The neighborhood essentially came together and said, ‘We really have an issue with access to our properties,’” Brownman said. “‘It’s affecting property values.

It may even impact emergency access.’”

Brownman said the street’s elevation is the problem.

“It’s directly adjacent to the bay with an extraordinarily low road,” Brownman said. “In fact, one of the lowest if not the lowest. … It’s a very low road in Longboat Key, so those factors combined, it has worse events than other areas.”

Brownman said the elevation

Courtesy photo

Lyons Lane is an area of Longboat Key that is prone to flooding whenever there is rain or unusually high tides in Sarasota Bay. This photo provided by the town of Longboat Key was taken in September 2019.

of Lyons Lane is about 2.8 inches when first turning onto the road from Gulf of Mexico Drive, falling toward the northeast end near Sarasota Bay. “The road itself is actually dropping down as you travel east,” Brownman said. “The lower the road gets, especially in the 1.6to 1.7[-inch] range, it gets heavily impacted by our higher tide waters.”

The town plans to raise Lyons Lane only 1-2 inches near Gulf of

Mexico Drive, whereas closer to the bayfront, the town plans to raise the road about 6-7 inches in some locations.

“That will require a number of driveway tie-ins into the roadway, so that folks can have adequate access in and out of properties, and some level of earthwork to do some regrading in those areas,” Brownman said.

The project includes the reworking of nearly every driveway in the neighborhood to meet

the necessary elevation.

The town is working with Palmetto-based Gator Grading & Paving on the Lyons Lane improvements.

The Lyons Lane roadwork will have an approximate cost of a little more than $300,000, Brownman said.

“We’re still refining that,” Brownman said. “That could come down. That could stay the same. We’re not sure yet.”

According to an email Brown-

man wrote to Town Manager Tom Harmer on March 5, cost savings on other drainage projects and the town’s resurfacing program will fund the Lyons Lane project.

The town is still finalizing its design and working to gain a permit exemption from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Brownman said the town hopes to have the Lyons Lane improvements done by July ahead of the bulk of the rainy season. The Atlantic hurricane season is June 1 through Nov. 30.

“The challenge there is we really want to have the underground project built ahead of this project, so we’re not having the underground project working on our brand new road, quarrying and doing utility locates on the brand new road,” Brownman said.

Depending on the timing of the project, Brownman said the town will work with Gator Grading & Paving to determine if it’s best to work through the rainy season.

At the latest, Brownman said the project would be done by fall.

Lyons Lane residents met via Zoom twice with Town Projects Manager Charlie Mopps to discuss the flooding issues and improvements.

“It became clear that this road was pretty well one of the lowest roads in the area, and it’s a very low road in the town,” Brownman said.

“And, as they continue to have the high water issues, it was actually deteriorating the roadway as well.”

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Commission to decide how to fill upcoming vacancy

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Longboat Key town commissioners will have a decision to make on filling the upcoming District 5 vacancy once Ed Zunz leaves office this month.

On March 1, Zunz announced his resignation because he is moving from the Longbeach Village neighborhood to a condominium that falls a few hundred yards beyond the district boundary.

District 5 is the northernmost in town and runs from the tip of the island to Tarawitt Drive.

Had Zunz not resigned, his term wouldn’t have expired until March 2023.

The Town Commission is required to appoint someone from the district of the vacated commissioner. The appointed commissioner would serve until the next general election, which is set for March 2022. At that election, the vacancy would be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term, which runs through March 2023.

“If for some reason the commission did not fill the vacancy within 30 days of the vacancy, then a special election shall be held, and the person elected would serve the remainder of the unexpired term,” Town Manager Tom Harmer wrote in an email to commissioners. “We are recommending that the commission proceed with an appointment process.”

Harmer said the town is planning to have an item on the March 22 statutory meeting agenda to set the appointment process.

“We would advertise the

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vacancy and collect any applications/resumes from qualified individuals for the commission consideration,” Harmer wrote.

“We would plan to schedule the actual appointment at a special meeting on April 19.”

Commissioners have often served on the Planning and Zoning Board. Among them: Mayor Ken Schneier, Vice Mayor Mike Haycock, Commissioner at-large BJ Bishop and outgoing commissioners George Spoll and Jack Daly.

Commissioners-elect Penny Gold and Debra Williams will be sworn in March 22, leaving two openings on the Planning & Zoning Board.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

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The St. Regis logos are the trademarks of Marriot International, Inc., or its affiliates. A Unicorp National Developments, Inc. project. The Residences at The St. Regis Longboat Key are not owned, developmed or sold by Marriot International, Inc., The St. Regis or their affiliates. Unicorp National Developments, Inc. uses the St. Regis trademarks and trade names under a license from The St. Regis. If this license it terminated or expires without renewal, the residential project will no longer be assoicated with, or have any rights to use, the St. Regis brand trade names or trademarks. All images and designs depicted herein are artist’s conceptual renderings, which are based upon preliminary development plans, and are subject to change without notice in the manner provided in the offering documents. All such materials are not to scale and are shown solely for illustrative purposes.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

LONGBOAT

OPINION / OUR VIEW

The bill that can save the housing market Rising property insurance rates are on the verge of popping Florida’s housing bubble and the economy — all because of lawsuits. SB 76 can save the state.

O

f all the bills filed this spring in the Legislature, Senate Bill 76 is far and away the session’s most important legislation.

Filed by Bradenton Sen. Jim Boyd, SB 76 deals with the mundane subject of property insurance. Here’s the nub of it: If Boyd’s bill passes, it will save Florida’s housing market from collapse — and save Florida’s economy.

If it fails, Florida’s housing bubble will pop. The real estate sales markets for residential and commercial properties will come to a halt. And the ripple will spread harsh economic effects throughout all of Florida: n Property insurance rates — already rising 20%-50% in the past year — will double within three years. n Florida-based private property insurers will go bankrupt. n The national carriers won’t write insurance in the state. n Taxpayer-owned Citizens Property Insurance Co. will be the only source of property insurance, making every Florida taxpayer liable to cover billions of dollars of losses in the event of a major hurricane. n There will be no such thing as affordable housing. n Millions of Florida’s senior citizens will be unable to afford to stay in their homes.

“100% correct,” said Boyd, who has spent his professional life owning an insurance agency in Bradenton. “There will be tsunami effects.”

The tsunami has already started, according to Guy Fraker, a corporate strategist who spent six months in 2020 researching the condition of Florida’s property and casualty insurance market. “Florida’s P&C market is in a free-fall collapse,” he told us.

“This market is going to fail.”

“It’s going to be a nightmare,” said Gregory Holder, a recently retired circuit judge in Hillsborough County who presided over thousands of insurance cases in his 26 years on the bench. “It is a financial crisis for the citizens of this great state. Everyone is affected by this.”

Barry Gilway, the CEO of state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Co., is not as dire, but he agrees current conditions are unsustainable. “Absolutely,” he said.

Collapse? Free fall? Unsustainable? Nightmare?

What are they talking about?

If you’re a property owner, you’re seeing it. Your property insurance rates for 2021 have risen anywhere from 20% to 50% over 2020. “My rate on my house went up 40%,” Boyd said.

Michael Mailliard, the owner of Longboat Key-based MIC Insurance, told us that 25% of his clients have been unable to buy homeowner’s insurance from either Florida-based or national and international carriers. Either they can’t take on the risk finan-

cially, or they want to stay clear of Florida.

Citizens, the state’s insurer or last resort, has been taking on 4,000 new policies a week since June 2020, and Gilway doesn’t see that stopping. After shrinking its policyholders down to 420,000 in 2018, it now expects that number to reach 700,000 by the end of 2021.

All of this is not because of the risk of hurricanes. It’s because of insurance-claim lawsuits.

In particular, this insurance crisis is a result of the tsunami of lawsuits against insurers (primarily roof related) that has washed over the entire state in the wake of Hurricane Irma, the 2017 Category 5 storm that destroyed much of the Keys.

Take in these statistics: n Total damage-claim insurance lawsuits filed in Florida: 2013: 27,416 2014: 31,647 2015: 37,820 2016: 41,851 2017: 49,148 2018: 82,663 2019: 84,087 2020: 85,007 n Amounts paid out by insurance companies in Florida since 2013 to cover damages and legal fees related to these lawsuits: $15 billion.

Now here’s the kicker: n Of that $15 billion insurers paid out, 71% covered attorneys’ fees; 21% covered insurers’ defense fees; and only 8% went to property owners.

Put another way: Trial lawyers took in $10.65 billion while Florida citizens whose properties were damaged were paid only $1.2 billion. Or, to bring that differential into a more digestible comparison, Fraker’s report shows a lawsuit in which Security First Insurance Co. was ordered to pay a damage award of $142 to a homeowner and $31,140 in legal fees to the consumer’s lawyer — 21,041% more than the awarded damages.

Disparities like the one above are common. Fraker’s report shows another suit in which the insured received $41,000 in damages while the attorney

representing him received $1.2 million. The list goes on and on.

Boyd told us of one attorney who filed 1,234 lawsuits against insurers in three months. “That’s 13.4 a day,” he said.

Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month that the 13th Judicial Circuit “has several thousand of these cases with well over 500 cases filed by one law firm.

“Upon discovering this clearly unethical and arguably illegal conduct,” Holder wrote in a letter to Sen. Jeff Brandes, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, “I conducted my own research compiling a list of more than 1,000 cases filed by just four attorneys in two separate firms.”

This onslaught of lawsuits has brought on the financial crisis that is about to blow up Florida’s property and casualty insurance industry and the companies that underwrite the insurance behind Florida’s 6.5 million properties.

After three profitable years, 2013-2015, Florida-based insurance companies have reported five consecutive years of underwriting and operating losses.

Last year, underwriting losses for all property insurers in Florida — what they paid out in claims after premiums — increased 120% to $1.58 billion compared to $725 million in 2019. Net losses — premium and investment income minus all expenses — mushroomed from $372 million to $747 million.

These losses have occurred even in the face of the state Office of Insurance Regulation approving rate increases of 10%, 14%, 20%, 25% and 52% over the past five years.

Fraker said he had his “a-ha moment” about the state of Florida’s insurance market after interviewing two C-suite executives of global reinsurance companies. One referred to Florida as “the highest risk zone in the world.” Another told him: “Hurricanes are not the biggest systemic threat. The lawsuits

2020 PROPERTY LAWSUITS All insurance companies: 85,007

represent such a high degree of uncertainty, we don’t know how to model Florida.”

Gilway of Citizens, who has spent nearly 50 years in the industry, including CEO Zurich of Canada, said there is no other insurance market in the U.S. close to Florida, and that is for two reasons: “the overall judiciary environment and the strength of the trial bar.”

Fraker said: “People think this is the insurance companies versus the lawyers. It’s actually the lawyers versus the consumers.

“Think of the litigation costs to insurers as ultimately a tax upon Florida’s property owners they don’t know exists.”

In 2019 alone, Fraker wrote, the costs allocated to insurance lawsuits totaled between $2 billion and $2.5 billion. He figured that every Florida family in 2020 paid a $651 annual hidden tax that no other state has — money that went “into a fund owned by fewer than 2,000 stakeholders [lawyers].”

How did this happen?

Gilway pegged it. The Florida trial bar has manhandled the Legislature for decades, crafting and shepherding legislation into law that tilts the legal system and incentives in its favor.

This is where insurance litigation becomes complicated.

There are formulae for attorney fees and contingencies that allow multipliers to be applied to attorney fees that drive up costs.

In addition, one of the drivers of the current crisis are the thousands of lawsuits related to roof replacements. Contractors go door to door through neighborhoods offering consumers vouchers for reporting even the tiniest leak, hoping to parlay the leak into a total roof replacement.

To address the crisis, Brandes convinced Senate President Wilton Simpson of the urgency for reforms — even if it means taking on the trial bar. Brandes, Boyd and Senate Insurance Committee staffers collaborated to craft SB 76 (see box).

Fraker, who is neither an insurer nor an attorney, said Boyd’s bill would be a major fix to the litigation issue and bring stability to the market. Gilway said it would be a good start. The two of them, along with Boyd and Brandes, say if it doesn’t pass, there will be nothing to stop the runaway litigation.

“Something has to give,” Gilway said.

Their fear: the trial bar’s grip on the House.

KEY PARTS OF SB 76

The guts of the bill would: n Award attorneys’ fees in line with the value of settlements, still allowing for higher amounts in rare and exceptional cases; n Require policyholders to provide a pre-lawsuit notice to the insurer that clearly sets forth the amount demanded and the basis of the dispute and give the insurer a specified time to inspect the property prior to a lawsuit being filed; n Reduce from three years and five years to two years the deadline to file property insurance claims; and n Allow property insurers to offer policies of actual cash value roof coverage for roofs older than 10 years rather than total roof replacement, except in the case of a total loss.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

Town Center plans should move ahead Although I usually agree with many of your editorials in support of private versus public developments, I suggest that your recent opinion that Longboat Key should sell the Town Center land because “it’s hard to make the case now that a Town Center concept is viable” completely misses the mark, and I respectfully disagree.

The plans for community outdoor facilities and activities at the site are well underway. As I see it, the Town Center train has already left the station and has taken an unplanned stop before arriving at its destination.

The town owns the land, which was purchased with funds generated by previous town developments. A year or so ago, while negotiating with Ringling College for a third year of evolving terms and conditions, due to then-existing circumstances, including certain commissioners’ views expressed from the dais, Ringling understandably, hopefully temporarily, withdrew from the partnership. However, the Town Commission has consistently and just recently reconfirmed the respective roles of the town and a potential private partner for the development of Town Center facilities.

The capital costs will be privately funded, and the partner will operate and maintain the buildings.

Although I recognize that some proposed public/private partnerships do not materialize, I firmly believe that if it can occur anywhere, Longboat Key

can make it happen. Importantly, we have a substantially new Town Commission, with two recent additions; we are replacing three of the old-timers, including myself; and we have outstanding continuing commission leadership, which is essential going forward in order to build on past efforts an extensive public inputs in support of a Town Center.

I am certainly aware, as Ringling’s CEO Larry Thompson recently observed in your newspaper, that the economy and pandemic have changed the circumstances dramatically since last year, but, as he also said with respect to a facility on Longboat Key, “never say never.”

Although there might be other private partners available as the commission continues to develop the building(s) concept, I’m not aware of any entity more capable to fill that role on Longboat Key than Ringling.

Again, it’s time to stop talking and to take action. I am confidant that a physical Town Center will become a realty and achieve the only missing link to optimize the lifestyles of Longboat Key residents, especially to enhance on-island activities while addressing the increasing traffic challenges clearly facing us in the future.

I urge you to change course and support those efforts.

JACK DALY LONGBOAT KEY TOWN COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 4

All is ab-fab here in Longboat Key No cabin fever, and life’s not drab. Missing family and friends, yet no mood to gab.

Making soup for pals, and for me, chips to grab. But I’m dining out on fries and stone crab.

No mani or pedi, no blood work or lab. Praying no COVID-19 since I got my first jab.

When we return to normal, I’ll have to rehab about hooking my bra and firming an ab.

Love reading and film, but no FaceTime to nab, so thank God it’s Florida, where weather’s ab-fab.

MELVY LEWIS LONGBOAT KEY

Baugh made vaccine political Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh is right. This “vaccine-gate” situation we find ourselves in is political — because she made it that way.

How? She bypassed the county procedure for vaccine distribution; she steamrolled over the other commissioners; and ultimately, she chose only her constituents to be able to access vaccines at the Lakewood Ranch pop-up site. That is political.

She stated in a now-published series of text messages that the Lakewood Ranch pop-up vaccine would be good exposure for Gov. Ron DeSantis given that 2022 is right around the corner.

That is political.

Her finger-pointing and

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

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claiming that others are trying to make this political is merely lazy, tired political posturing.

She insults the residents in our county if she thinks we don’t see right through her actions.

She says she “loves Manatee County.” Wow, I sure don’t want to see what her hate looks like.

She needs to resign now. That is what loving Manatee County would look like.

KRISTINA SKEPTON LAKEWOOD RANCH

Eliminate parking on Main Street It seems that for the past seven years of being a Sarasota resident, the “makeover” of Main Street has been a nonstop topic of discussion, mainly revolving around parking. The obvious answer is to get rid of all parking on Main Street from Orange Avenue to Palm Avenue.

It should all be permanently transformed into a walking mall, all nicely bricked over with a lot of outside dining, beautifully landscaped, fountains and street entertainers. Think Quincy Market in Boston.

Build a separate convenient parking garage. Give the new mall a quirky name, and they will come.

NICHOLAS C. GALLINARO SARASOTA

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MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

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“Physically, you’ve got to do something you like and be active, and mentally, you have to be continually challenged,” Daly said.

“I’ve always abided by that.”

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Daly’s seat March 22.

Citing recommendations from the Barrier Island Traffic Study, Daly has advocated on behalf of Longboat Key for years about mainland traffic plans and their effects on the barrier islands.

“In the two counties, developmentwise, the traffic situation [isn’t] getting better,” Daly said.

“It’s getting more condensed.”

Daly has been critical of some of the concepts in the MPO’s proposed Transform 2045 longrange transportation plan.

“The city [of Sarasota] is absolutely, transportationwise, focused, I would say mesmerized here, on pedestrian and bicycle mobility,” Daly said. “Automobile traffic is an afterthought. “[Longboat Key’s] top priority is the reverse. We’re certainly concerned about pedestrian mobility. We have crosswalk issues to deal with and the like here, but the major concern is getting on and off the island of Longboat Key residents.”

Daly has also advocated for the town to construct an arts, culture and education building at the Town Center site. He still considers it a possibility to reestablish a relationship with Ringling College of Art and Design.

However, Ringling stepped back from its relationship with the town in 2019.

“I really do view that that’s a failure of this commission here,” Daly said. “Hopefully, the new commissioners recognize that failure and will activate it.”

Daly said some new perspectives on the Town Commission should help the Town Center development too.

“Please pay attention and look afresh … at the Town Center, and get that back as a priority,” Daly

11A

“Physically, you’ve got to do something you like and be active, and mentally, you have to be continually challenged.

I’ve always abided by that.”

— Jack Daly

said. “It’s going to take time, but I think we have to continually not only talk but flesh out and focus on that in workshops, and that’s going to take leadership from the commission.”

During Daly’s tenure on the Town Commission and P&Z Board, the town also addressed such important issues as the underground utilities project, density and the redevelopment of the former Colony Beach & Tennis Resort.

“That was a major, major Longboat Key project and impact,” Daly said of the former Colony site. “Every owner, almost to an individual, had a view on it.”

At the former Colony site, Unicorp is moving forward with plans to build and develop The Residences at The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort. However, Unicorp faces public hearings before the Town Commission and P&Z Board before construction can begin.

Daly said he plans to continue to play tennis and spend time with his family once he’s off the commission. He has four children and eight grandchildren. “[I] take a little pride in recognizing that there has been a little bit of Daly-value added, but that remains to be seen at this point,” Daly joked.

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Dave Crawford holds his first grandchild in 2020.

Longtime mail D carrier dies at 58

NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

Dave Crawford delivered mail along Longboat Key for 33 years.

ave Crawford, the only mail carrier many Longboaters have known on the island, died March 3 at the age of 58.

Crawford carried mail on Longboat Key for 33 years and delivered to every corner of the island throughout his tenure, Longboat Key Postmaster Josue Pagan said.

Most recently, he was delivering to the south end of Longboat Key, including Country Club Shores and many of the large condo

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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and began working at the Bradenton Beach post office. He eventually was transferred to Longboat Key, where he built a reputation pounding the pavement and devoting himself to his work.

His steadfastness didn’t go unrecognized, and many of his customers knew him and looked forward to seeing him every day.

“It was his dream job,” his mother, Carol, said. “I knew names I could never put faces with. They meant a lot to him.

We would talk on the phone and he would say, ‘I saw Mr. So-andSo today,’ and that didn’t mean a thing to me, but other than his family, that was his love.”

Boesen said he would look after customers’ homes when they were away in the summer, and his mother remembered that he would know to deliver incorrectly addressed mail to the new address of a resident who had recently moved to another place on the island.

Water Club resident David Lapovsky, who said Crawford was the only mail carrier the newer building had ever had, remembered a time Crawford stopped him while he was walking in his neighborhood to sort out an issue firsthand.

From Pagan to his customers, the consensus was that Crawford was one of a kind.

“I’d be out walking, along Gulf of Mexico Drive or in Country Club Shores, and if I see a postal service van, I’d always look to see if it was Dave who was driving the van,” Lapovsky said.

“If it was, I’d give him a little wave, and if he saw me, he waved back. And now when I look at the postal service vans, I kind of miss that. It’s hard to believe he’s not around.”

“If I see a postal service van, I’d always look to see if it was Dave who was driving the van. If it was, I’d give him a little wave, and if he saw me, he waved back. And now when I look at the postal service vans, I kind of miss that.

It’s hard to believe he’s not around.”

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communities. Of all the carriers on Longboat Key, Pagan said Crawford had the toughest route with the most mail. Still, he was Pagan’s most reliable carrier at a post office with a lot of longtenured workers.

“The guy today said: ‘I don’t know how Dave did his job in nine hours. It takes two of us eight hours each to do his route,’” said Mike Boesen, who manages Tencon. “That job was his passion.”

Both fathers with adult children, Boesen and Crawford bonded through the years over their shared love of softball and fatherhood.

The men played church softball together and shared photos and stories of their daughter and son, respectively, who both played college ball.

“I basically met him my first day,” Boesen said. “It hits really close to me. I’ve seen him every day for 29 years.”

Crawford had enormous amounts of energy and kindness to deliver along with the mail. He was an avid reader who traded books with residents along his route, always made sure medication was delivered to the door and recognized names of people he met from the envelopes and packages he deposited.

Boesen knew of a woman along Crawford’s route who had Parkinson’s disease. Walking was difficult for her, so every day, no matter if it was sunny or raining, Crawford would get out of the mail truck and run her mail up to her door, so she didn’t have to walk down her driveway.

“I know he’s touched a lot of the people he delivers to,” Boesen said.

Originally from Ohio, Crawford moved to the area in his mid-20s

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

MARCH 6

UPON FURTHER REVIEW 4:08 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen assist: An officer was flagged down by a relative of a person who had fallen on a sidewalk. The relative relayed that another family member wanted the officer to know the victim might have been distracted by a dog that was tied up nearby while its owner worked out. The officer attempted to look into this inquiry but found no dog near the location of the fall.

NEIGHBORLY CONCERN 7:20 p.m., 3600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen assist: The neighbor of a person released from the hospital called police concerned because the person had not returned home. The officer, through a family member, determined the resident moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility.

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HOMEWARD BOUND 8:05 p.m., 3500 block of Fair Oaks Drive Missing person: Concerned about an overdue relative who was new to the area, a resident called police to report her missing. The resident said the relative returned from dinner and took her dog for a walk but hadn’t returned after 40 minutes. An officer found the woman at a nearby pond and brought her home. Fire rescue confirmed the woman was OK medically.

It’s easy to enter, go to www.yourobserver.com/hippity-hoppity Hurry and get those entries in; we’ll draw for a winner on Thursday, April 1, 2021

RED PAGES YourObserver.com/redpages

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Made for where you live. Here!

A DOG AND OWNER REUNION 11:08 p.m., 3700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Animal complaint: A dog wearing a tag inscribed with its name and owner’s number was

OUTDOORS ON THE TERRACE STAGE

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reunited with its owner following a neighbor’s call to police. The neighbor found the dog near his door and thought it looked familiar but couldn’t reach anyone by phone. Police left a message and heard back as a county animal control officer was still on the scene. The owner retrieved the dog with a verbal warning from the animal control officer.

MARCH 7

WHERE’D THEY GO? 3:06 a.m., near Whitney Beach Suspicious incident: An officer helped a caller who seemed confused. The person had become separated from friends and had no means with which to return to Holmes Beach. The officer gave the person a ride.

POLAR EXPLORATION 12:42 p.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Property damage, not vandalism: The manager of a business called to report a collision between a customer’s car and a stainless steel pole on the property. No injuries were reported.

Damage to the vehicle was light, and there was no visible damage to the pole. The customer told managers no police report was needed and that it would be reported for insurance purposes.

Company managers called police to document the incident.

CASE OF THE MISSING CASES 1:26 p.m., 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Theft: A package containing pillow cases, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, went missing.

The recipient said the box had been delivered while she was out of town, but when she returned, it was nowhere to be found.

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CHECKING OUT 7:50 p.m., 5800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Disturbance: Police were called to a resort to investigate the sounds of an argument. An officer heard a woman yelling in a room before knocking, though no signs of a physical fight were found. A man in the room said the couple had been drinking through the day and began arguing about attention paid to a resort employee. Both parties told the officer they just wanted to go to sleep and return home the next day.

MARCH 10

NOT HERE 8:49 a.m., 600 block of Norton Street Citizen assist: Police were called

MARCH 10

THE GREAT BEYOND 7:15 a.m., 5500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Animal complaint: A visitor to a park called police to report an injured raccoon. An officer arrived and pronounced the woodland creature deceased. The Public Works Department was notified. Next of kin was not.

Neighbors had not picked it up for safekeeping, either.

to a home by a resident who received a package for a previous owner. An officer was unable to make contact with the former resident.

FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY 5:21 p.m., 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Traffic crash: No one was injured in a two-vehicle collision. Police cited a driver for following too closely in the crash that rendered one vehicle inoperable. The officer’s investigation found that the first driver, heading south, failed to slow in time to avoid hitting the vehicle in front. A second collision at the scene also resulted in a driver being cited for following too closely, though damage was lighter to both of those vehicles. No injuries were reported there, either.

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MARCH 11

NEVER MIND 1:59 p.m., 7100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Noise: A caller who did not want to meet with police alerted officers to a boat anchored off the beach playing loud music. When an officer arrived in the area, the boat was gone.

DOWN GOES THE MAILBOX 4:30 p.m., 800 block of Broadway Street Property damage, not vandalism: A resident reported to police about $200 in damage done to a curbside mailbox that had been knocked over.

The resident said there was no security video available, and employees of a nearby business said they hadn’t seen the incident.

E X PA ND W HAT IT MEA NS TO BE HOME

A WARNING AND SOMETHING TO READ 5:31 p.m., 6851 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Dog on the beach: An out-oftown owner of a small dog was issued a town of Longboat Key brochure detailing regulations pertaining to pets following a call by an unidentified caller. The owner apologized for violating town rules about dogs on the beach and departed.

INDOOR VOICES, PLEASE 10:01 p.m., 300 block of Firehouse Lane Noise: Responding to a noise complaint, an officer reported hearing several voices of people apparently enjoying themselves.

The people were informed of the noise complaint, and they agreed to remain quieter.

MARCH 8

CHEERS 5:12 p.m., North Shore Road Alcohol offense: Police reminded a group on the beach that open containers of alcohol are not permitted. The group had set up a table with a full bottle of wine along with a half-full bottle alongside. The group removed the wine to their car.

GRASS STOP 6:39 p.m., 2500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Suspicious vehicle: Police looked for but could not find a vehicle reported by a resident as suspicious. The initial call said the vehicle had been driving erratically northbound, then stopped in the grass before continuing on.

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H2OH! 11:59 p.m., 500 block of Spanish Drive Citizen assist: Police responding to a neighborhood on a report of a water leak discovered a 20-foot high plume upon arrival. The leak was reported to Public Works, which sent someone to shut off the flow.

A Meal Makes A Difference.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

donation delivers A Meal MakesYour A Difference.

AAMeal MakesAheart ADifference.

Difference. healthy meals Meal Makes Yourto donation delivers homebound Your donation delivers heart healthy meals Your donation delivers Sarasotans in need. heart meals heart healthy meals to healthy homebound toto homebound homebound Sarasotans in need.

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Lisa Foster, Barb Brackett, Heoise Kihnke and Mary Cotterall

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n March 11, doctors, construction workers and police officers set out for a round of golf. Or so it seemed.

Actually, the hardworking golfers were members and guests of the Longboat Key Club. Director of Golf Terry O’Hara set the event’s theme as “Essential Workers,” so foursomes showed up as professionals who have kept society running during the pandemic.

Before hitting the links, they met at the Harbourside Golf Course for a boxed breakfast. O’Hara directed a helicopter ball drop with the winners receiving a new three-iron. After every golfer finished their round, the women met for lunch before parting ways.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

17A

A concierge practice devoted to internal medicine and wellness.

Ann Quackenbush and Jan Van Iten

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18A

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Sip and Shop helps seabirds O

1 in 10 children are sexually abused ...

You can make a

n March 12, customers of the Longboat Key J. McLaughlin store stopped by to drink, shop and support local nature rescue organization Save Our Seabirds at the month’s first Sip and Shop.

Store Manager Melanie Dale said she tries to host a Sip and Shop event every weekend during the busy season. The organization of the week sets up a table to educate passersby about their work, and 15% of the day’s sales go to them, as well. The March events will follow the theme of Women’s History Month, and Cyndi Seamon kicked it off by representing Save Our Seabirds.

“Instead of International Women’s Day, as a company we’re doing International Women’s Month,” Dale said. “Pretty much what we’re doing is celebrating

difference!

Join the Child Protection Center for our Virtual Gala April 14th at 6:30pm

strong women in the community and all the contributions they make.”

Every organization supported by Sip and Shop events in March will be one led by a woman in the community. Next week will feature JDRF with Euphemia Haye’s D’Arcy Arpke; the following week will feature the Longboat Library with President Mary Baker; and the final week will feature Impact100 SRQ, a nonprofit that empowers female philanthropists. It was the second time Dale supported the organization with the Sip and Shop.

“I hadn’t heard from SOS, and I didn’t realize they can’t get open,” Dale said.

“This pandemic isn’t just affecting restaurants and bars. It’s affecting everybody.”

— NAT KAEMMERER

JOIN OUR FIGHT AGAINST CHILD ABUSE.

CPCSarasota.org

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Register or donate today at

Photos by Nat Kaemmerer

Educational materials, such as paths of red knots, were available for customers to peruse.

Actions Speak Louder Than Awards

But we won’t argue if U.S. News & World Report ranks Sarasota Memorial Hospital as one of only 37 “standout” hospitals among the nearly 5,000 assessed in this year’s “Best Hospitals” study, scoring a perfect 10 in all surgical procedures and chronic conditions evaluated—including heart and lung care, cancer treatment, vascular repair and orthopedic surgery.

After all, we’re too busy helping patients get back to better, back to their families and back to their lives.

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To learn more, visit smh.com

2020 - 21

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

19A

Tips and Tricks for a

Virtual YOU!

LIVE Demonstrations

Melanie Dale with a newly delivered pair of pants with birds on them

Raffle Prizes Attendees will receive $100 OFF their first service with Dr. Spellman

FACE to FACE

with Dr. Andrea Spellman Andrea J. Spellman, D.O. • Fellowship Trained, American Board of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery • Board Certified, American Osteopathic Board of Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery

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Above: Debbie Doust with her purchase from J. McLaughlin Left: Cyndi Seamon sports the new Save Our Seabirds shirt.

Virtual Seminar LIVE on Instagram and Facebook.

Follow us now and sign up to attend.

941.355.3223 5911 N. Honore Ave., Suite 120 Sarasota, FL 34243 www.HillstromPlasticSurgery.com The patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to refuse to pay, cancel payment or be reimbursed for payment for any other service, examination or treatment that is performed as a result of and within 72 hours of responding to the advertisement for free, discounted fee or reduced fee service, examination or treatment.

20A

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Passover Meals to Go!

Passover meals are available for curbside pick-up in the TBI Parking Lot or Marina Jack's on Friday, March 26.

Delivery is available to Sarasota Bay Club & Plymouth Harbor.

MENU

ORDER PICK-UP & DELIVERY:

Marina Jack's Parking Lot (2:00 - 2:15 pm) 2 Marina Plaza - Sarasota, FL 34236 TBI Parking Lot (3:00 - 3:30 pm) 567 Bay Isles Rd. Longboat Key, FL 34228 Deliveries to Plymouth Harbor & Sarasota Bay Club (made by 4:15 pm)

Matzo Matzo Ball Soup Charoset Chopped Liver Gefilte Fish Brisket Potato Kugel Tzimmes Macaroons

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Use the online order form on our website or contact the TBI office by phone or email. MUST ORDER BY 3/23.

CREDIT CARD ONLY

Charoset, Maror (horseradish), Hard-Boiled Egg, Matzo, and Karpas

$25 Per Meal No Refunds. No Subs.

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For correct representations, make reference to the documents required by section 718.503, Florida Statues, to be furnished by a developer to a buyer or lessee 350515-1

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Women golfers gather for Go For the Cure n the sunny afternoon of March 9, Longboat Key golfers decked out in pink and took to the Harbourside Golf Course at the Longboat Key Club for the annual Go For the Cure.

Every year, the golf event brings together the 18-hole Women’s Golf Association and the nine-hole Key Niners for a round of golf and fundraising to support Breast Health Sarasota, followed by a catered lunch. It’s the only time during the year that the two women’s golf groups of Longboat Key meet on the course.

In all, the golfers raised about $58,000, co-Chair Arleen Klein said.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

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21A

Arleen Klein, Donna Pettinao and Suzanne Reiman

kitchen remodeling

5570 Gulf of Mexico Drive Longboat Key, FL 34228

longboatkeybuilders.com 348482-1

contractor. new homes. renovations. additions.

941-383-2900

Photos by Nat Kaemmerer

Above: Terry O’Hara with Jeanne Musorofiti, who shot a hole-in-one Left: Diane Patrone and Eileen Merchant

GOURMET DELI / TAKEOUT

Curbside Pickup Available Outside Patio Passover Take-Out $22.99/person

Please order by Wednesday, March 24, 2021

10 Take 'n' Bake Dinners Under $20

Homemade Soups Gourmet Sandwiches Scratch Bakery 20% Off Retail Wine (Wednesday & Thursday)

$99 Mixed Case of Wine

A Longboat Key Landmark Easter Take-Out from the Deli Order by: Wednesday, March 31 Pick up: Saturday, April 3 Choice of Entrée

Leg of Lamb $21.99 per person Boulangère Potatoes, Green Beans Amandine, Mint Jelly, Buttermilk Biscuits, Rolls or French Bread

Baked Ham $20.99 per person with Rum Raisin Sauce, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans Amandine, Buttermilk Biscuits, Rolls or French Bread

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Harry's Corner Store 7AM to 10PM

EDUCATE

our community about the risks of tobacco and e-cigarettes

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the environment and vulnerable populations

hip s r e tn r a P e e r F o c c a b To of Sarasota County

JOIN US!

AT OUR NEXT MEETING:

Thursday, April 15 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.

Virtual Meeting To register, please contact Jennifer Sadonis at:

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

to the Longboat Key Chamber’s

16th Annual MEET GREET EAT! FREE ADMISSION

This event is being held both Inside and Outdside.

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 4-6pm at the Harbourside Ballroom at LBK Club

How to build your resilience Turns out, resilience is like a muscle — it gets stronger with exercise. Use these tips to help yourself bounce back from life’s challenges.

YOU AREN’T BORN WITH IT

3000 Harbourside Drive, Longboat Key

• Complimentary Appetizers & Beer • Cash Bar • Door Prizes

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RSVP

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All CDC Guidelines will be followed including wearing a face covering

TOGETHER / tə • ge • thər / adverb the harmony that plays when lives converge OUR COLLEAGUES IN CARE NAME QUOTE

Steve Hall

R E L AT I O N S H I P

Board Member and Donor

After serving on the Board and seeing the time, effort,

and consideration that goes into each donated dollar spent, I can think of few other organizations with the bandwidth to impact a community.

Steve and Alltrust Insurance know that with Tidewell, our community has its own kind of insurance policy – one that’s funded by people who understand the need and value of our services. That’s why Steve donates: to ensure our world-class care is available for all who need it.

By starting with relationships, the Tidewell Foundation is redefining care.

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T

he past year has hardly been a stroll through the park. It’s quite difficult to grasp the many degrees of suffering that millions of people worldwide have experienced.

That suffering has been physical, emotional and economic — a roller coaster through the human condition. Now, at least in this country, when we are seemingly swimming in vaccine and venturing out into something approximating a new normal, we’re faced with recollections and analyses of what has occurred.

And the word “resilience” keeps popping up like a whacka-mole. I’ve seen so many quotes about resilience — “A good half of the art of living is resilience,” for example — that I determined a deep dive was needed into this suddenly crucial characteristic.

The first thing I learned is that resilience, literally defined as the art of bouncing back, is not something we have in our DNA. You aren’t born with it. It’s not an aspect of being a glass halffull kind of person. It’s a quality developed over time.

My first stop in learning more about this quality was with Daniel Goleman, an author and sometimes professor who is perhaps best known for his breakthrough work on emotional intelligence back in the 1990s.

In a Harvard Business Review article, Goleman posits that building resilience is a matter of retraining the brain. As he explains it, when something upsets us, our fight-or-flight response hijacks our executive centers in the brain.

When they get hijacked, there are a long list of possible responses. For example, you lose your perspective on a situation.

There is little acceptance of reality. You might feel like a victim.

We struggle to find comfort or to restore a sense of balance. And, according to Goleman and many other scientists studying this, resilience is really about how quickly we recover — or bounce

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MORE RESEARCH

On my quest for getting a handle on resilience, I spotted a webinar available through Stanford University. I signed up. And so did 3,000 other people, indicative of the high level of interest in this subject as our lecturer Antoine de Morrees, with a doctorate in neurological sciences at Stanford, told us in the introduction.

Morrees likened the capacity to recover from stressors as a sort of physical process, yet it’s a process that takes place in the brain, which the brain doesn’t normally do.

The pandemic has been a constant flow of stressful elements.

And no one really is taught how to deal with stress. In our mind, we end up ruminating about all of the stress, which prevents bouncing back or resilience.

Morrees also advocates a type of rewiring of the brain to enhance a quicker recovery and indeed create new neural pathways to help us restore balance.

He advocates disconnecting the rumination through a meditation practice that creates a comforting place in the brain.

The more you imagine or meditate to the comfort zone or happy place, the faster you create a neural pathway to disconnect the rumination that continues the stress and prevents resilience. In the webinar, all 3,000 of us were led to our happy place, and it was very comforting — and a lot healthier than a bag of chips.

MINDFULNESS

Other research has examined mindfulness as a method to

rewire the brain and enhance resiliency. In a study supervised

by Jon Kabat-Zinn through the University of Massachusetts, employees at a biotech company that reported high levels of employee stress were taught mindfulness techniques and meditated using them 30 minutes a day for eight weeks. The stress levels of the employees dropped significantly, and they reported a high level of feeling resilient and in balance. Many even reported that they remembered what they originally loved about their work.

At the core of mindfulness is training the brain to register anything happening in the present moment without reacting to it. In other words, no hijacking, just an observation. Goleman offers these simple instructions: ■ Find a quiet, private place where you can be undistracted for a few minutes.

■ Sit comfortably, with your back straight, but relaxed.

■ Focus your awareness on your breath, staying attentive to the sensations of the inhalation and exhalation, and start again on the next breath.

■ Do not judge your breathing or try to change it in any way.

■ See anything else that comes to mind as a distraction — thoughts, sounds, whatever. Let them go, and return your attention to your breath.

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

23A

25th Anniversary Season

Great Music ~ Exceptional Artists ~ Safe Settings

VENTURES IN BRASS

with the Venice Symphony

Brass Quintet

Aaron Romm, trumpet Alan Evans, trumpet Robert Moore, horn Joe Offner, trombone Joseph Alvarez, tuba

March 28 • 3:00 pm Outdoors at Nathan Benderson Park Covering everything from jazz and standard brass quintet literature to Bach and Broadway.

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back — from this hijacking. It is all about retraining the brain.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Welcome to the Machine The dystopian future isn’t written in Brendan Ragan’s ‘Safe House’ at Urbanite Theatre.

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

I

f you need an escape from the dystopian reality of the present, Brendan Ragan’s immersive “Safe House” offers an interlude of dystopian fiction at Urbanite Theatre. It’s a 40-minute immersive play, limited to socially distanced audiences of four. There are no live actors, except for the audience. You’re not passively watching this play; you’re in it. Ragan is both the director and playwright, and that’s the heart of his concept.

In the play’s conceit, you stumble into a “safe house” designed by a programmer who’s on the run from the clutches of the Quandry Corp.

This corporate behemoth shares a business model with Dave Eggers’ “The Circle” and, for that matter, 90% of the multinational entities in cyberpunk fiction. Its business model is a mashup of Facebook, Google and the phone company. It offers free service in exchange for mining your data and manipulating you (which real-world corporations do anyway).

Fletcher (Chris Hayhurst) is the play’s hero (or villain). He designed Quandry’s system architecture but crashed the system when a) the corporate overlords turned it to evil; or b) he fell into a paranoiac delusion. Ava (Krystal Millie Valdes) is the play’s other hero (or villain). Quandry possibly

Courtesy photo by Jack Cooper

“Safe House” provides an immersive experience. The choices are up to the audience.

kidnapped her when it found out Ava was collaborating with Fletcher to unplug its corporate brain. Either that or she’s helping the corporation find and neutralize Fletcher. Or all or none of the above.

To find out the truth, you navigate the twists and turns of the titular safe house.

Fletcher has fled but pops up

periodically on various screens to guide you. Ava pops up, too.

Their contradictory advice helps you navigate the breadcrumbs of clues (or misinformation) they’ve left behind.

But one or both might be unreliable narrators. Finding the truth is more than ratiocination; it’s really a question of character. Who do you choose

to believe — if anybody?

Depending on your choice, there are two possible endings.

Hayhurst and Valdes put in nuanced performances.

They’re hard to read by design.

They don’t telegraph either heroism or villainy and keep you guessing until the end.

Shaun Greenspan’s video clips create a duality of bright

sixties seventies

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The performing arts raise spirits, provide joy, and spark inspiration for many in our community.

We believe it is vital that the show go on, and that it does so as safely as possible.

For the safety and confidence of our performers and those attending our venues, we are requiring masks and social distancing for all joining us for live performances.

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Thank you for supporting the arts. We hope to see you soon!

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

IF YOU GO BRENDAN RAGAN’S ‘SAFE HOUSE’ When: Through April 4 Where: Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St., Sarasota Tickets: $25 Info: Call 321-1397, or visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.

corporate coldness and a fugitive’s dark, chaotic world. And they nicely hint at an unblinking eye of constant digital surveillance.

The “Safe House” environment has the look of a grungy warehouse space. Kudos to Ryan Finzelber for the claustrophobic, multilayered set design. Romantic, it’s not.

It’s dimly lit and packed with boxes of computer chips and hard drives.

It looks like the castoffs of a dying civilization, not the shiny seeds of a bright future.

Sean Ragan’s creepy sound design also adds to the miasmic milieu.

Brendan Ragan has written a tight script. The experience is fairly linear until the end. Then it’s all up to you. At the climax, you get the equivalent of doors No. 1 and 2. Video gamers will know the experience well.

Conventional theatergoers?

Not so much. My advice?

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

25A

Save 10% On Your

Stay alert, keep your head in the game, and take your time.

The clock isn’t really ticking.

The clues are hidden in plain sight if you patiently look for them. If you’re part of a group, even better. Four heads are better than one. But be warned.

“Safe House” is probably the most unconventional theater the Urbanite has ever staged.

Agatha Christie it isn’t.

I knew that going in. Hell, I had even read the script.

Back in the 1990s, I even did some voice-over work for a video game. (A very big part, but that’s a story for another day.) But I still wasn’t entirely prepared for the “Safe House” thrill ride.

So, confession time.

As a critic, I’m not used to the immersive experience. I’m engaged — both intellectually and emotionally. I’m thinking about plot, character arcs and motivation. I care about the characters. But if Hamlet dies, it’s not my fault. If Jimmy Stewart falls off Mount Rushmore, that’s on him. I’m just sitting back watching the stage or screen, taking notes and eating popcorn.

But in this immersive experience, the fate of the play’s characters does depend on me.

If the wrong character dies, it is my fault. How do you deal with it?

They don’t teach you that in critic school.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

TRIBUTES

Born December 1, 1933, Michael was a West Philly guy, through and through. He attended West Philadelphia High School and Temple University School of Business.

He spent the first year of his marriage in Lawton, Oklahoma, serving in the United States Army Dental Corps.

After the years in the Army, with plenty of tales to tell, he embarked on a long career in the transportation industry.

Michael owned several companies related to the industry and retired to Longboat Key Florida after having been president of an airport shuttle and limousine service for over eight years.

A new life began in Florida with Michael Rhoda, and eventually both sons, playing lots of tennis and volunteering for many worthwhile organizations. These included mentoring and tutoring in elementary schools, working with Jewish Family and Children Services, and teaching English as a second language for the Literacy Council.

A unique teaching group of retired teachers invited Michael to be the only male as part of their special method of teaching young

Bradenton, Florida - David M. Crawford, 58, of Bradenton, Florida, was suddenly called home by the Lord Wednesday, March 3, 2021. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany on September 29, 1962.

This wonderful man was loved and respected by all who knew him and the love of Rhoda’s life. students with reading difficulties.

This wonderful man was loved and respected by all who knew him and the love of Rhoda’s life.

We will read his name in the Book of Life.

Services will be private and a special celebration will take place in the future.

Suggestions for charities are American Cancer Society or JFCS. SERVICE: Services will be private and a special celebration will take place in the future.

DONATIONS: Suggestions for charities are American Cancer Society or JFCS.

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It is with the deepest sorrow that we share the news of the passing of Michael (Mickey) Shlifer on January 26, 2021. He was the beloved husband of Rhoda Pollon Shlifer for 63 years.

Also, mourning their father, are sons, Gary and Daniel, along with granddaughters, Hallie and Nina.

David Michael Crawford 1962-2021

He was an avid sports fan, especially of the Ohio State Buckeyes. He graduated from Belpre High School, Belpre, Ohio in 1980. He excelled in basketball and baseball while there. He attended Ohio University and graduated from Washington Technical College in 1984. Soon after graduating, he moved to Florida and it has been his home since.

He was a dedicated employee of the United States Postal Service for 33 years on Longboat Key. After landing a job at the post office, he never looked back. He loved his customers and the friendships he developed with them. Although he was close to retiring, he was apprehensive about leaving his dream job.

Dave was a voracious reader and had an extensive library of books. He shared this passion with family and friends. He also enjoyed playing trivia and was a huge fan of Jeopardy.

He was quick with a joke and his sense of humor brought smiles to the faces of all who knew him.

More than anything, he had an immense love for his family. He is survived by his parents Buck and Carolyn (Kay) Crawford of Belpre, Ohio; daughters Briana Crawford

and Alexa (Michael) Davila, both of Bradenton; son Eric Crawford of Jacksonville; grandchildren Jacey Fazioli and Conor Davila; sister Sheri (Brian) Swift of Uniontown, Ohio; nephews Marc West of Akron, Ohio, Scott West of Norfolk, Virginia, Brian (Noriko) Swift of Irvine, California and niece Alison Swift of Uniontown, Ohio.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, March 27, 2021 at the pavilion on the south side of Coquina Beach next to Longboat Pass from 10:00 am-12:00 pm.

Condolences may be made online at www.shannonfuneralhomes.com.

The family is being served by Shannon Funeral Home (The Original Funeral Home of Manatee County).

5610 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton, FL.

SERVICE: Saturday, March 27, 10AM Pavilion on the southside of Coquina Beach next to Longboat Pass

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Michael “Mickey” Shlifer 1933-2021

The Tidewell Foundation and Stratum Family of Companies welcome you to the Tidewell Foundation Building showcasing an outstanding group of health and wellness organizations ready to brighten the lives of the Longboat Key community. To learn more call 941-552-7546 or visit www.TidewellFoundation.org.

3/17 3/17

MONDAYS 10-11am Stretch & Strengthen MONDAYS 11:15am-12:15pm Hula Dance 10-11am Stretch & Strengthen 1-3pm Thinking Out Loud Discussion 11:15am-12:15pm Hula DanceGroup 1-3pm Thinking Out Loud Discussion Group TUESDAYS 10-11am Qi Gong TUESDAYS 1-3pm MahQi Jongg 10-11am Gong 1-3pm Mah Jongg WEDNESDAYS 10-11am Tai Chi WEDNESDAYS 10-11am Chi THURSDAYS 10-11am Zumba Tai & Pilates THURSDAYS 10-11am Zumba & Pilates FRIDAYS FRIDAYS 10-11am Yoga & Meditation 10-11am Yoga Meditation 11:30-12:30 Tai &Chi - NEW! 11:30-12:30 Tai Chi - NEW!

MEDICAL MEDICAL SUITE SUITE Offering in home care services to help you live the life you want, the way you want.

For a private consultation, Call or Email 941.706.2695 nkobritz@youthfulaginghomecare.com youthfulaginghomecare.com

Mondays & Mondays & Thursdays Thursdays Primary Care Primary Care 941.748.8400 941.748.8400 ConnexisMedical.org ConnexisMedical.org

Mondays & Mondays & Thursdays Thursdays Ear/Nose/Throat/ Ear/Nose/Throat/ Audiology Audiology 941.366.9222 941.366.9222 EarSinus.com EarSinus.com

Place your top bid on a variety

March 15th 11am-3pm of items donated by local March 16th 10am-12pm and businesses.

March individuals 25, 1:00-2:30pm March 17th 10am-3pm Socially Distanced & Fun! During these unprecedented times, one

thing you can control is who will speak for you if you can’t speak for yourself.

2nd TAI CHI Learn Class how in thisAdded! virtual presentation.

Fridays 11:30-12:30 (after Register: Yoga) beginning March 12 941.383.6493

Tai Chi is a gentle, yet effective exercise for both body & mind.

2nd TAI CHI Class Added

Fridays 11:30-12:30 (after Yoga) through March 26 AGING IN PLACE Final Seminar Tai Presented Chi is a gentle, yetAging effective

by Youthful Homeexercise Care for both body & mind!Isolation March 24: Overcoming

1-2pm Webinar OR In Person at TPC - Register: 941.383.6493

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Please call physicians Pleasedirectly call physicians to directly to make your appointment! make your appointment!

Wednesdays Wednesdays Podiatry Podiatry 941.921.3000

Fridays Fridays Dermatology Dermatology 941.926.6553

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AGING IN PLACE Final Seminar Presented by Youthful Aging Help HomeSupport Care SILENT The Paradise Center March 24: Overcoming Isolation AUCTION! Stop by & try941.383.6493 your luck!

1-2pm Webinar OR In Person at TPC - Register:

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

27A

MUSIC

IN THE AIR Margaret Goreshnik has taught music at Allegro Academy in Sarasota for 25 years.

STAFF WRITER

M

argaret Goreshnik has her love — she’s had it for a quarter century and more.

Goreshnik, a native of Estonia and a Sarasota resident, loves music with every part of her being.

It’s what she grew up learning, when her mother introduced her to the piano and violin. It’s what she learned to love so much that she, upon moving to Florida, opened the Allegro Academy of Music, Etiquette and Dance in Sarasota.

Goreshnik’s music academy recently celebrated 25 years of activity, a quarter century of sharing musical knowledge, etiquette advice and dance craft with hundreds of students.

It’s a milestone that brings no small amount of pride to Goreshnik, who considers the endeavor more than just a business.

“I like to teach children music,” Goreshnik said. “Isn’t it beautiful? What can be better?”

Goreshnik started 30 years ago in Manatee County, where she taught students from a church. In time, she opened her own academy.

The school teaches students how to play a number of musical instruments, including piano, keyboards, violin, viola, guitar, electric and acoustic bass, mandolin, banjo, ukulele,

Harry Sayer

IF YOU GO

Margaret Goreshnik specializes in the violin and piano.

ALLEGRO ACADEMY OF MUSIC, ETIQUETTE AND DANCE When: Noon to 8 p.m.

Monday to Friday Where: 241 Whitfield Ave. Info: 358-8511 or AllegroMusicAcademy.com

but one that Goreshnik said is still difficult.

“It’s much more involved for us financially, but we’re doing it,” Goreshnik said. “That’s why our students come to us — because they know we’re a safe

place. … Not one student got sick in our school.”

All of the hard work and focus is in service to a series of performances Allegro students and staff put on in the community. The school used to produce monthly shows but has transitioned to quarterly events since the pandemic started. Students play a mix of music from South America, Russia, Thailand and other countries; Goreshnik said she feels it’s important to have students play music from across the world.

Beyond the musical craft and

5 Ways to Worship at All Angels

St. Armands Key

All Angels Episcopal Church | 563 Bay Isles Rd

LUTHERAN CHURCH

• Indoor worship services this Sunday at 8 am and 10 am

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Face covering required.

• Drive-in Church, Sunday at 10:00. Tune your car radio to 107.5 FM

JOIN US FOR IN-PERSON WORSHIP on Sundays at 9 and 11am. Or join us online at 9am at www.saklc.com/live or on Facebook

• Walk-up Church, enjoy the garden setting and listen to the service

GARDEN CONCERT 3/21 at 4pm featuring Island Swing Band

• Live-stream - go to AllAngelsLBK.org to watch on-line

RESERVATIONS FOR HOLY WEEK & EASTER now available online at www.saklc.com/reservations

Growing in Jesus’ Name

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• Zoom service - email dave@allangelsLBK.org for the link

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,

Worship With Us at Our Church

Catholic Church

Sunday Service 10:00 AM

Would like to Welcome & Invite You, Your Family Members & Friends to Celebrate Mass with Our Parish Community MASS SCHEDULE Saturday: 3:30 PM & 5:00 PM Sunday: 8:00, 9:30 & 11:30 AM During Lent: Monday-Saturday 9:00AM Stations of the Cross: In Church, Friday, 5:00 PM

Please Register to Attend • Masks Required

941-900-4903 The Rev. Dr. Norman Pritchard

6400 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

•

941.383.8833 (office)

347488-1

An Ecumenical Church that Welcomes all People Founded in 1956

•

www.christchurchlbk.org

Please join us in worship in person on Sunday at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. or online at our website and Facebook Live Stream at 11 a.m.

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

Follow us on Facebook • www.longboatislandchapel.org

Lord’s Warehouse Thrift Shop is Open Mon., Wed. & Sat., 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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or www.christchurchlbk.org (follow YouTube link)

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Visitors & Residents Welcome Watch our 10:00 AM service live: www.bit.ly/cclbksermons

practice for each instrument, Goreshnik said her school teaches students how to have faith — faith that with proper work and focus they can go on to play in orchestras and music groups across the country and the world.

That faith is needed now more than ever. Goreshnik said she’s just waiting for the day that the pandemic settles, and she and her students are able to put on even more shows for people in the community.

“I’m excited,” Goreshnik said.

“I love what I’m doing.”

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

COVID-19 safety measures are still in effect.

Please visit our website for the most current information or to view mass.

Rev. Robert Dziedziak, Pastor

Temple Beth Israel

A Center of Jewish Life and Learning in the Sarasota Area Your health and well-being are of the utmost concern to us!

With the situation engendered by the current public health emergency around the country and the world, we want to err on the side of caution.

All TBI physical gatherings are postponed until further notice.

Please access our Shabbat Services and programs on our website, YouTube, Facebook and Zoom.

941.383.3428 | www.tbi-lbk.org

RABBI STEPHEN L. SNIDERMAN, D.D.

567 Bay Isles Road • Longboat Key, FL

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voice, saxophone, flute and clarinet. The school focuses on classical music but will dip into Christmas music during the season and more modern tunes if there’s interest. Some students take classes once a week while others visit every couple days or more.

It’s important to Goreshnik that Allegro Academy hires a proper level of teaching quality and ensures its teachers have some kind of bachelor’s or master’s degree to be teaching students.

Teaching requires providing help to families in need as well.

Goreshnik said she and her staff work hard to have scholarship options available for students.

The academy director has also donated her own piano, cello and other instruments to the school for students to use.

“It’s not our obligation, but I feel that I have to give back to the community with all the love that they gave me,” she said.

“People have helped me, and I want to give back.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges and wrinkles to which her staff has had to adapt.

What was once Goreshnik and her staff working with 20 students in a classroom has now become a situation in which five or so students are learning music craft together while spaced apart. Other school instructors teach students virtually. It’s a necessary situation

HARRY SAYER

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

ROGER SELLS LUXURY WATERFRONT PROPERTIES RECORD-BREAKING $175+ MILLION SOLD IN 2020

Dear Neighbor, This has been a season to remember for many reasons! The weather has been spectacular, possibly the best winter weather I can remember in years. It almost seems that Florida has been singled out for such wonderful weather, particularly when you look at the rest of the country.

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This custom-built estate is perfectly situated on nearly two-aces of property overlooking pristine beach shores and offering 150’ of beach frontage. The striking home comprises exquisite features throughout, with its 4BR main home and separate 3BR guest home. From almost any room, you can look out into the coastal landscape of the Gulf of Mexico and relish breathtaking crimson sunsets as the ideal ending to any day. www.5965GulfofMexicoDrive.com

1300 CASEY KEY ROAD

The real estate market is absolutely the strongest I have experienced in my 39 years as a Realtor®. The 2003/04 market had some similarities but was much more driven by investors. Today’s market is driven by the mass migration of northern, mid-western and even California buyers escaping high taxes and wanting a better lifestyle. This is a much more sustainable model. We know that when boarders open back up, there will be an influx of Canadian and European buyers coming back to town.

If selling your property has at all crossed your mind, NOW IS A GREAT TIME. I have never seen inventory of available property at such low levels. This means little competition for your property.

Best,

Roger Pettingell, Broker Associate

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An enviable direct Gulf-to-bay location is the highlight at this charming 3BR bungalow on the private island of Casey Key. This unique parcel offers nearly 100’ of direct beach frontage with an additional peninsula that juts out to the sailboat-deep waters of Blackburn Bay, and includes a protected dock in a sheltered basin with the option of multiple boating possibilities. Create your own dream-home experience at this remote jewel.

Offered furnished, this bright and open residence is a wonderful place to escape reality. The unique position of this lovely getaway includes two generous-sized terraces (a rarity in this community), one offers spectacular Gulf views, while a cozy east-facing balcony overlooks the lush community grounds. Walls of floor-to-ceiling glass sliders ensure that multiple rooms are sunny and airy.

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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 www.Pettingell.com | www.bestSarasotarealestate.net Twitter.com/RealRoger | Instagram.com/RogerPettingell | Roger@Pettingell.com Owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC 348294-1

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Classifieds 9B Games 8B Real Estate 5B Weather 8B

MARCH 18, 2021

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Nat Kaemmerer

St. Armands Key Lutheran Church organist Louis Habib steps away after 27 years, but she won’t be far from the keyboard.

NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

t St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, March 14 brought about the end of an era as organist Lois Habib played her last service after 27 years.

Habib made the rounds before her second-to-last contribution at the 9 a.m. service, greeting friends and thanking them for coming to church. On Sunday, she’ll be there again but watching from a distance as Director

of Music Michael Bodnyk takes a seat behind the organ.

“It’ll be nice to sit in the pew and watch it happen for a while,” Habib said. “I’ll still sub for Michael when he goes away on vacation. He’s already asked me to play on Easter, so I’m not going very far for a while.”

Retirement comes with bittersweet satisfaction for Habib, 68, who’s been involved with the Lutheran church and, specifically, organs at Lutheran churches her whole life. Her father was a pastor in Toronto, and her mother played the organ there. When Habib

moved south in the early 1990s, she brought her children and her organ-playing background along for a new start in Florida.

“I started going to various Lutheran churches to see where I felt comfortable,” Habib said. “As soon as I walked into St. Armands, … the pastor, Bob Zimmer, was also Canadian. We just struck it off right away.”

She didn’t become the organist immediately but soon found herself in a familiar seat.

“I filled in for the organist a few times when she wasn’t well, so they knew I could play the organ,”

941-218-2914 352421-1

A NEW VIEW A

Habib said. “They asked if I’d fill in until they found someone else.

And 27 years later, here we are.”

Back in her childhood in Toronto, she filled in for her mother from time to time. It was a musical family. She began playing the piano at age 3.

She took lessons for years and picked up the organ when she declared to her mother that she was bored one summer when she was 11.

“My mother took me over to the church, showed me how to turn on the organ, which fingers to press to make it go, and she gave me the hymn book,” Habib said.

“She said, ‘Start at the beginning.’

I just sat down and taught myself how to play.”

Although she was always in a Lutheran church, Habib’s career and personal style evolved over the years.

In 1995, about a year after she had started as the organist, Zimmer wanted to start a contemporary worship service with instruments you wouldn’t always find in a church. She went back to the piano while fellow congregant Rev Voth picked up his guitar.

The pair led the service, eventually termed “Team Spirit,” for years, following the ebb and flow of participation. For a while, there were several singers, a flute player and another guitarist, but Habib and Voth were the constants.

“After a while, we sort of got this musical bond where we know where each one was going with the music, so it was really easy to play,” Voth said.

Habib bonded with members of her church family over the years and was one of the church’s few stalwarts as it grew into a new sanctuary and changed hands from pastor to pastor.

She played at the funerals of congregants she knew and at the weddings of friends who found love in their later years. In the end, she’s closing the chapter on a happy note and confidence in the new era.

“Sometimes it was a challenge, but you’re just so blessed to have done it with some of these people,” Habib said. “And Michael [Bodnyk], we had a connection the first time we met. We’ve always got along really, really well. They’re in good hands with Michael there at the helm now.”

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

FRIDAY, MARCH 19

TheParadiseCenter.org or by phone at 383-6493.

SECOND CHANCE, LAST OPPORTUNITY FOOD DRIVE From 3-3:30 p.m. at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, drop off canned and nonperishable food items or monetary donations in the temple’s parking lot. Food and funds will be donated to Second Chance, Last Opportunity in Sarasota.

MAHJONG From 1-3 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road.

Beginning or intermediate players. Held indoors or outdoors, weather permitting. Face masks required. RSVP to check availability and/or to be put on a wait list by emailing DonnaSharpBlaney@TheParadiseCenter.org or calling 383-6493.

THURSDAY, MARCH 25

MY LIFE, MY CHOICE From 1-2:30 p.m. in a webinar, join The Paradise Center and the Tidewell Foundation for a seminar on tips for creating an advance-care plan in case of a health emergency. To register and receive your personal weblink, call 383-6493, or email SuzyBrenner@TheParadiseCenter.org.

RECURRING EVENTS MONDAYS

STRETCH & STRENGTHEN From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road.

Focus is on strength training and flexibility for balance.

Groups are limited to 10, and masks are required. Class is led by Suzy Brenner. Fee is $10. Walk-ins welcome. For information, call 383-6493.

HULA CLASS From 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., dance with Debbie White. Held outdoors with social distancing.

Free for members, $10 for others. Walk-ins welcome. RSVP to DonnaSharpBlaney@TheParadiseCenter.org or by phone at 383-6493.

SWEET AND SPIRITED YOGA Eight sessions from 9-10 a.m. at the Longboat Key Education Center, 5370 Gulf of Mexico Drive, suite 212. Class size is limited. Members $88, nonmembers $104, or pay as you go. Call 383-8811, email info@ LBKEducationCenter.org, or visit LBKEducationCenter.org.

File photo

The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce’s most recent Meet, Greet and Eat event was in February 2020.

DON’T MISS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24

MEET, GREET, EAT From 4-6 p.m. at the Harbourside Ballroom, Harbourside Drive, join the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce for an event to mingle with local business owners. There will be 50 tables with chamber members, both indoors and outdoors.

Email GLoefgren@LBKChamber.com for information.

THINKING OUT LOUD: TIMELY TOPICS WITH MIKE KARP From 1-2:30 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Topics will include U.S. and world current affairs, popular culture and topics relevant to seniors. $10. RSVP to DonnaSharpBlaney@TheParadiseCenter.org or 383-6493.

MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY

PUMPING THE PRIME WITH MIRABAI HOLLAND At 10 a.m. on the lawn of the Bayfront Park Recreation Cen-

ROTARY CLUB Meets at 5 p.m. virtually on Zoom, every first and third Tuesday. Call Nancy Rozance at 203-605-4066, or email info@ LongboatKeyRotary.org.

ter, 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Class led by Mirabai Holland.

Class is $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers. Sign up online at FabulousForever.com.

For information, email Mirabai@ MovingFree.com, or call 201956-1466.

TUESDAYS

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

RSVP to DonnaSharpBlaney@

WEDNESDAYS

TAI CHI From 10-11 a.m. outdoors at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. $10. RSVP to Mary Ann Brady at DonnaSharpBlaney@ TheParadiseCenter.org, or call 383-6493.

THURSDAYS

KIWANIS CLUB OF LONGBOAT KEY At 8:30 a.m. at the Lazy Lobster, 5350 Gulf of Mexico Drive. This service organization meets every first and third Thursday of the month for breakfast and a speaker.

Breakfast is $10. Email President Lynn Larson at LynnLarson@comcast.com to register.

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. For information call 383-6493.

IPHONE & IPAD: ‘BEYOND’ BASICS PLUS From 1-3 p.m. on Zoom with the Longboat Key Education Center. Four sessions with Keith Coker, an IT consultant.

Members $100, nonmembers $110. Zoom only. Call 383-8811, email info@LBKEducationCenter.org, or visit LBKEducationCenter.org.

FRIDAYS

YOGA AND MEDITATION From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road.

Walk-ins welcome. Cost is $10 for nonmembers, free for members. RSVP to 383-6493.

VIRTUAL COCKTAIL HOUR 5 p.m. on Zoom with Temple Beth Israel, join for a themed cocktail hour. The Temple is holding “My Jewish Journey,” a series of talks from congregation members. The hour leads into the temple’s virtual Shabbat dinners.

Contact iazerad@tbi-lbk. org or info@tbi-lbk.org for information.

WHETHER YOU’RE LISTING OR LOOKING...

I bring over 10 years of experience in the negotiation of high stakes contracts for buyers and sellers on Florida’s Suncoast.

YOU CAN BE ASSURED YOUR PROPERTY WILL ACHIEVE ITS MAXIMUM MARKET POTENTIAL.

RECENTLY SOLD AND PENDING LISTINGS

941.685.3590 Jeff@JeffRhinelander.com JeffRhinelander.com

COUNTRY CLUB SHORES 602 Ranger Lane SOLD! $3,010,000

BIRD KEY 472 Partridge Circle PENDING! $4,175,000

BIRD KEY 525 Bird Key Drive SOLD! $1,950,000

INN ON THE BEACH 200 Sands Point Rd., #1405 SOLD! $1,425,000

L’AMBIANCE 415 L’Ambiance Dr., #302B SOLD! $1,625,000

COUNTRY CLUB SHORES 560 Outrigger Drive PENDING! $1,560,000

443 JOHN RINGLING BLVD., STE. F | SARASOTA, FL 34236 595 BAY ISLES ROAD, STE. 250 | LONGBOAT KEY, FL 34228 348521-1

YOUR CALENDAR

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

BENCH M A R K R E SU LTS • S T R AT EGIC M A R K ET I NG • PER SONA L I Z ED SERV ICE

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RECENT ACTIVITY D OL S ST JU

2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 L on g b o at K e y | O f f ere d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

YOUR 2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 PROPERTY HERE

2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 L on g b o at K e y | O f f ere d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

L on g b o at K e y | O f f ere d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

It’s a great time to be a Seller! Call us for a complimentary market analysis today.

SUNSETS AT SANCTUARY

535 SANCTUARY DRIVE #402 | LONGBOAT KEY | OFFERED AT $1,695,000 East and west terrraces offer direct views of the Gulf of Mexico as well as downtown Sarasota and the golf course from this 3 bedroom residence located behind the gates of the Longboat Key Club.

MLS# A4493705 R NT

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2067 H A RRBOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 CO E K e y | O f f ere d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 L on g b oDat UN MLS# A4178487

2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 L on g b o at K e y | O f f ere d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 L on g b o at K e y | O f f ere d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

535 SANCTUARY DR. #405 | $1,950,000

D OL S ST JU

LUXURY AT ARIA 2067 H A R BOUR LINKSBEACHFRONT DR I V E, #4 2067 H AR BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 OFFERED ATd $4,900,000 L on g2521 b o at GULF K e y | OF O f f MEXICO ere d at $ 7DRIVE 79, 0 0 0 #303 | LONGBOAT L on gKEY b o at| K e y | O f f ere at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 Direct water from this 4 bedroom/4 bath smart home residence offering all of the fine MLS#views A4178487 MLS# A4178487 appoinments and amenities expected in high end living. MLS# A4492956

I A N A DDY, PA R E A LT O R ®, M B A

I A N A DDY, PA

IanAddy@MichaelSaunders. com R E A LT O R ®, M B A IanAddy@MichaelSaunders.com

I A N A DDY, PA R E A LT O R ®, M B A

IanAddy@MichaelSaunders.com

229 BIRD L on g b oKEY at KDRIVE e y | O|f$1,075,000 f ere d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0

MLS# A4178487

D OL S ST JU

G A I L W IT T IG

BROK E R-A SSOCI ATE GAIL W IT T IG

com B R O GailWittig@MichaelSaunders.

K E R-A SSOCI ATE GailWittig@MichaelSaunders.com

941.387.0100

G A I L W IT T IG

BROK E R-A SSOCI ATE GailWittig@MichaelSaunders.com

941.387.0100 WWW.LONGBOATLIFE.COM 347508-1

2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4

901 NORSOTA WAY | $5,900,000

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

LOCALLY KNOWN. GLOBALLY CONNECTED. SINCE 1976.

SARASOTA 1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive 1208 Susan Fox & Jonathan Fox, PA 941-544-6648 A4492990 $3,900,000

LONGBOAT KEY 3591 Bayou Circle Michael Moulton 941-928-3559 A4491507 $1,895,000

SARASOTA 127 S Pineapple Avenue Nora Johnson & Klaus Lang 941-809-1700 A4491365 $1,875,000

SARASOTA 1722 Shoreland Drive Drew Russell 941-993-3739 A4485575 $1,695,000

LONGBOAT KEY 535 Sanctuary Drive A402 Ian Addy, PA & E. Gail Wittig 941-961-8850 A4493705 $1,695,000

HOLMES BEACH 512 68th Street Hannah Hillyard 941-744-7358 A4484565 $985,000

SARASOTA 2708 61st Street Michael Moulton 941-928-3559 A4490385 $925,000

HOLMES BEACH 107 66th Street 12 Kristi Berger & Deborah Capobianco 941-730-3801 A4452254 $848,888

SARASOTA 988 Blvd Of The Arts 1911 Nora Johnson 941-809-1700 A4478131 $805,000

SARASOTA 707 S Gulfstream Avenue 205 Marci Mcfarland 941-961-3390 A4488641 $795,000

LONGBOAT KEY 680 Fox Street Cindy Fischer 941-465-1124 A4488139 $795,000

LONGBOAT KEY 1485 Gulf Of Mexico Drive 303 Sharon Freeman & Carol Aviles 941-545-0899 A4493417 $789,000

BRADENTON 73 Tidy Island Boulevard Kathy Valente & Gregory Zies, LLC 941-685-6767 A4477926 $670,000

LONGBOAT KEY 3240 Gulf Of Mexico Drive 602 Michael Moulton 941-928-3559 A4484014 $649,000

HOLMES BEACH 101 66th Street 6 Kristi Berger 941-730-3801 A4452260 $588,888

BRADENTON 10 Tidy Island Boulevard Kathy Marshall 941-900-9777 A4491987 $575,000

HOLMES BEACH 103 66th Street 10 Kristi Berger 941-730-3801 A4452245 $488,888

BRADENTON 221 21st Street W Lynne Callahan 941-720-3278 A4474894 $449,000

LONGBOAT KEY 594 Preserve Court Cindy Fischer 941-465-1124 A4493009 $449,000

LONGBOAT KEY 4960 Gulf Of Mexico Drive PH2 Bobbie Banan 941-356-2659 A4493763 $445,000

SARASOTA 800 N Tamiami Trail 311 Pam Sweeney & Maureen Doherty 941-266-9622 A4419222 $415,000

LONGBOAT KEY 6324 Laguna Drive The Walter Group 941-232-2000 A4479329 $395,000

LONGBOAT KEY 621 Spanish Drive N Cecile Coutret & John Coutret 941-735-4444 A4492593 $370,000

LONGBOAT KEY 735 Spanish Drive S 208 John Coutret & Cecile Coutret 941-735-4445 A4493196 $370,000

BRADENTON 4902 7th Avenue W Linda Dickson 941-224-1337 A4492742 $335,000

LONGBOAT KEY 729 Saint Judes Drive S 2 Cathy Meldahl 941-724-7228 A4488291 $329,000

LONGBOAT KEY 600 Sutton Place 101 George Zimmerman 941-320-8931 A4479167 $319,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 5904 Garden Lakes Majestic Jim McElhinney 941-773-1199 A4493720 $245,000

BRADENTON 204 3rd Street W 204 Patty Brooks 941-545-1194 A4462765 $217,000

348856-1

LONGBOAT KEY 5372 Sandhamn Place Richard Perlman 941-228-8580 A4458496 $3,700,000

SARASOTA 990 Blvd Of The Arts 1403 Kim Ogilvie 941-376-1717 A4449930 $2,795,000

MSC MORTGAGE | MSC TITLE | MS&C COMMERCIAL NEW HOMES & CONDOMINIUMS

SARASOTA 1301 Main Street 502 Lenore Treiman 941-356-9642 A4486685 $2,250,000

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

A

home on Lido Key tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Donn Winokur and Eileen O’Donnell-Winokur, of Spring Lake, N.J., sold their home at 1355 Westway Drive to Richard Craig Bezozo and Melinda Vanderbilt Bezozo, of Warren, N.J., for $5.8 million. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, five-andthree-half baths, a pool and 6,326 square feet of living area. It sold for $4 million in 2012.

JOHN RINGLING ESTATES

Thomas and Robin Murphy, trustees, of Longboat Key, sold the Unit 352 condominium at 3030 Grand Bay Blvd. to Barry Karafin, trustee, of Longboat Key, for $979,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths and 2,143 square feet of living area. It sold for $989,000 in 2019.

WINDING OAKS

3070 Grand Bay LLC sold the Unit 632 condominium at 3070 Grand Bay Blvd. to Stephen and Judy Levine, of West Orange, N.J., for $572,000. Built in 1995, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,276 square feet of living area. It sold for $530,000 in 2013.

QUEEN’S HARBOUR

HARBOUR COURT

THE BEACHES OF LONGBOAT KEY SOUTH

BIRD KEY

D. Michael Travis and Laura Ann Travis, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 450 E. Royal Flamingo Drive to Molly Dutton, trustee, of Columbus, Ohio, for $1.83 million. Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, two-andtwo-half baths, a pool and 2,819 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.04 million in 2015.

GRAND BAY

Donald Marshall sold his Unit 411 condominium at 3010 Grand Bay Blvd. to Jeffrey David Fisher,

MARCH 1-5

Addeo, of Croton on Hudson, N.Y., for $1.14 million. Built in 1992, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,564 square feet of living area. It sold for $799,000 in 2011.

COREY’S LANDING

Carla Wise and Deborah Leschot, trustees, of Zionsville, Ind., sold the home at 2272 Harbour Court Drive to Nicholas and Lynne Giordano, of Longboat Key, for $1.92 million. Built in 1988, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,978 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.05 million in 2016.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

of Longboat Key, for $1.59 million. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,781 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.65 million in 2007.

Timothy John Watkins and Tina Rene Watkins, of Greenwood, Ind., sold their home at 431 S. Washington Drive to Gregory and Cynthia Masingill, of Sarasota, for $3.04 million. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, three-anda-half baths, a pool and 3,062 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.1 million in 2015.

Keith and K.A. Preston and Carla Robyn Preston sold their home at 3530 Mistletoe Lane to Daniel and Lesley Rife, of Longboat Key, for $1.48 million. Built in 1991, it has three bedrooms, two-anda-half baths and 3,102 square feet of living area. It sold for $477,700 in 1991.

Bohdanna Domino, trustee, of Oak Brook, Ill., sold the Unit 707 condominium at 775 Longboat Club Road to Daniel Lee Martin, of Longboat Key, for $1.3 million. Built in 1984, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,842 square feet of living area. It sold for $315,000 in 1985.

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Joel and Rosalyn Ehrenpreis, of Longboat Key, sold their Unit 6 condominium at 3411 Winding Oaks Drive to Thomas and Dolores Diener, of Longboat Key, for $1.1 million. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,555 square feet of living area.

Paul and Carol Sue Caggiano, of Centreville, Md., sold their home at 3629 Fair Oaks Place to Mitchell and Kim Toryanski, of Fort Myers, for $930,000. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,825 square feet of living area.

FAIRWAY BAY

Kenneth and Susan Thomas, of Pekin, Ill., sold their Unit 546 condominium at 2110 Harbourside Drive to Richard and Amy Price, of Harbor Springs, Mich., for $861,000. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,031 square feet of living area. It sold for $430,000 in 2010.

BEACHPLACE

Thomas Mazziotti sold the Unit 105 condominium at 1135 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Surf Digs LLC for $860,000. Built in 1980, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,503 square feet of living area. It sold for $207,500 in 1980.

5B

REAL ESTATE

Westway Drive home sells for $5.8 million

|

HARBOUR OAKS II

Nancy Stacer and Mary Tanzosh, of Longboat Key, sold their home at 2330 Harbour Oaks Drive to Karin Graham, of Sarasota, for $820,000. Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,560 square feet of living area. It sold for $432,500 in 2017.

CLUB LONGBOAT BEACH AND TENNIS

Jody Haas-Wolfson, of Northbrook, Ill., sold her Unit 534 condominium at 5055 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Craig and Cynthia Martin, of Brandon, for $800,000. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,484 square feet of living area.

ONLINE See more transactions at YourObserver.com

In with the new

EMERALD HARBOR

James Cushman II, of Longboat Key, sold the home at 691 Old Compass Road to Michael Peter Harris Murphy and Kerry Jean Murphy, of Westfield, N.J., for $1.3 million. Built in 1971, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,290 square feet of living area. It sold for $895,000 in 2017.

SALES GALLERY OPEN

Longboat Key

LONGBOAT SHORES

Stephen and Hannah Miller, trustees, of University Park, sold the home at 622 Buttonwood Drive to Kenneth and Annmarie

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

WATERFRONT HOMES & HOMESITES

Bradenton Riverfront Riverside Point | 941.201.8505 Home sites from $229,900 | Homes from the low $600,000s RiversidePointFlorida.com

TOP BUILDING PERMITS These are the largest building permits issued by the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Department for the week of March 5-11 in order of dollar amounts.

L O N G B OAT K E Y ADDRESS 501 Harbor Point Road

MOVE-IN READY

PERMIT APPLICANT Interior alterations Glass Family

AMOUNT $3.25 million

Living Trust

2105 GMD

Doors and windows Sunset Beach Club $1.07 million

2101 GMD

Doors and windows Sunset Beach Club

455 Longboat Club

Interior alterations Antonio Pimentel

$721,971

2151 GMD #6

Interior alterations Larry Shanker

$176,500

3060 Grand Bay Blvd.

Exterior wiring

Grand Bay LBK

$167,000

845 Longboat Club Road

A/C change-out

Mike B. McKee

$163,435

K and K Longboat LLC

Palma Sola Bay Club | 941.216.7436 From the high $300,000s PalmaSolaBayClub.com

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

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

$100,000

1215 Bogey Lane

Seawall

580 Lingley St.

Interior alterations Nancy Bossenbroek

$64,412

2151 GMD #6

Lighting

$61,717

573 Juan Anasco Drive

Interior alterations Terrance O’Hare

Larry Shanker

Risdon on 5th | 941.365.1414 From the high $300,000s RisdonOn5th.com

Northwest Bradenton

$250,000

Road #802

3030 Grand Bay Blvd. #315 Interior alterations Ronald B. Darilek

Downtown Sarasota

NOW SELLING NEW PHASE

$74,439

$48,024

Source: Town of Longboat Key

WWW.MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM/NEW-HOMES | 844.591.4333 | SARASOTA, FLORIDA 348892-1

Prices as of February 2021.

Licensed Real Estate Broker

6B

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

BIRD OF THE WEEK

Work with JoDene

A closer look at the feathered friends with which we share Longboat.

941.302.4913

JoDene Moneuse

Realtor ®, Certified Staging Agent

Rufa red knot O

LongboatKeyLiving.com

Five-Star customer service award-winner

#1 individual agent in units sold for the Mid-Longboat Key office

Sarasota Magazine Rising Star Real estate Agent 31-year Longboat Key resident Michael Saunders & Company’s “Best of the Best” top performers

ur beaches are now crowded with visitors from places far away. But few have traveled as far as rufa red knots. On 20-inch wingspans, they fly more than 9,300 miles twice a year, which makes them the longestdistance migrants in the animal kingdom.

In the fall, they travel between their nesting grounds in the Canadian Arctic and their southern wintering grounds, repeating the trip in reverse in the spring. One rufa red knot, banded in 1995 off the southern tip of South America, was nicknamed Moonbird because in his lifetime he flew more than 325,000 miles — the distance to the moon and halfway back.

Migrating birds’ journeys are exhausting and require two to three stopovers. If the birds don’t consume enough food during these stops or unnecessarily expend energy, they might not have enough fuel to complete their trip. Undernourished knots that manage to make it to the Arctic will arrive in weak and in poor shape for breeding.

When last spotted in 2015, Moonbird was at least 22 years old. Sadly, in his lifetime, 80% of the rufa red knot population had

3174 Gulf of Mexico Dr | Longboat Key, FL 34228 | 941.383.7591 | michaelsaunders.com

348980-1

Living and Working on Longboat Key for 40 Years Cathy C. Meldahl, P.A. Your Longboat Key Community Realtor • Consistent top producer on Longboat Key • In-depth knowledge of the real estate market • Active in our community with Longbeach Village Association Longboat Key Historical Society Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce Longboat Key Garden Club 347526-1

941.724.7228

CathyMeldahl@michaelsaunders.com

FL AW LE SS E X ECUTI O N 203.605.9582

J . D. , R E A LTO R ® , L B K C O M M I S S I O N E R

R E A L E STAT E S I M P LY D O N E

• On Longboat Key since 2002 • 35 years of legal experience

• 2019 Circle of Excellence recipient • Dedicated to serving our community

LBK Commissioner | Sarasota Memorial Hospital volunteer

• Recent sales in: Promenade | The Pearl | Tangerine Bay | Sands Point

Miri Hardy

disappeared. They are now listed as a federally threatened species, due to habitat loss, degradation and over-harvest of horseshoe crabs, whose eggs are a critical food source.

To help red knots and all other migratory birds using our shores for “pit stops,” we can reduce disturbances by keeping pets off the beach. And by walking around, rather than flushing birds, we can let them get the rest they need.

You’ll easily spot rufa red knots during breeding season, when they develop their distinctive red plumage.

— MIRI HARDY, SAVE OUR SEABIRDS

Fairway Bay | Harbour Villa Club | Perico Bay

345251-1

Save our Seabirds is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and release sick and injured wild birds. Follow @SaveOurSeabirds to learn more.

properties properties expertise expertise results results

EXTRAORDINARY EXTRAORDINARY

UNRIVALED UNRIVALED Certified Residential Specialist Certified Residential Specialist Broker-Associate Broker-Associate

EXCEPTIONAL EXCEPTIONAL

941.928.3559 941.928.3559

MichaelMoulton@michaelsaunders.com MichaelMoulton@michaelsaunders.com

LD SO

LighthousePoint PointDrive DriveCommunity 6565Lighthouse www.35LighthousePointDrive.com | Gated 4,933|SF SF| A4438181 | A4438181 | Front $3,795,000 4,933 | $3,795,000 A4477572 4,430sf | 4BR | Bay | $3,300,000

440 Gulf of Mexico Dr | Longboat Key, Florida 440 Gulf of of Mexico DrDr | Longboat Key,Key, Florida 440 Gulf Mexico | Longboat Florida

501Halyard HalyardLane Lane| Lido Shores 501 www.1212WestwayDrive.com 2,340 | A4448464 | $1,995,000 2,340 SFSF| A4448464 | $1,995,000 A4482176 | 4,627sf | 5BR | $3,825,000

finest finest

www.SARASOTAS SARASOTAS SARASOTAS

gigi

SILVERBERG Luxury Property Realtor

PROPERTIES.com PROPERTIES .com PROPERTIES .com

•Interested in moving to a condo downtown?

•Purchasing a home on the water?

•Perhaps a home in a golf course community?

No one will work harder to find you the perfect home

Longboat Key • Lido Key St. Armands • Siesta Key Lakewood Ranch West of Trail Downtown Sarasota

Let me help you explore your options and with your search.

I can start by emailing you listings today.

Contact me today

Over 25 Years Experience

941-993-3695

Broker Associate - Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

346453-1

Water Club #401 Water Club 65 Lighthouse Point Drive#401 | Gated Community 3,400SF|SF | A4421764 | $2,575,000 3,400 | A4421764 $2,575,000 A4438181 4,933sf | 4BR ‘ |Bay Front | $3,510,000

G DIN EN P E SAL

352997-1

LD SO

351804-1

845Longboat LongboatClub ClubRoad Road 845 www.845LongboatClubRoad.com | Regent Court 19,300 | A4440615 | $19,750,000 19,300 SFSF| A4440615 $19,750,000 A4440615 | 19,300SF | 140’ on| the Gulf | $16,500,000

LD SO

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

7B

Whether you are Buying or Selling,

REID MURPHY

WILL LEAD YOU TO A SUCCESSFUL REAL ESTATE EXPERIENCE! Photo taken by Reid Murphy

CALL REID TODAY! | 941.232.3304 | www.ReidMurphy.com

LONGBOAT KEY EXQUISITE BAYFRONT ESTATE $7,800,000 LBK PRIVATE GULFFRONT ESTATE $4,995,000 Casually elegant behind private gates. Stunning features & panoramic views. One of the finest 4BR/5BA. Magnificent 4BR/5BA w/ private walk to gorgeous Gulf beach. Dramatic views from properties on Florida’s west coast! 75’ heated pool on 600’ of frontage deep bay water w/3 boat multiple porches. 4 car garage. Walking distance to shops. AMAZING VALUE! slips, guest house & 8 car garage.

SOLD

PENDING

LONGBOAT KEY CUSTOM KEY WEST STYLE HOME $6,950,000 SARASOTA HARBOR ACRES $3,495,000 Exceptional Bayfront custom Key West style 4 bedroom home. Spectacular views. Bayside pool. 4/5BR Home w/panoramic Bay views from rooftop deck. Superior details plus expansive cook’s Roof top viewing area. Boat dock. The best! kitchen, pool & outdoor kitchen. Prestigious location.

LIDO KEY POLK $3,875,000 Close to everything! 3 Level Coastal Home w/Gulf & city views from 20’x20’ roof top deck w/elevator & stair chair service. 5/ BD 6/BA all w/en-suite private baths. Impressive pool area w/ eleveatd spa and rock waterfall. One block to beach.

GATED WESTWAY ESTATE $5,985,000 Exquisite w/stunning views, expansive windows & verandas capture outstanding water & sunset views. Dramatic pool w/ jacuzzi. New dock & lift. Walking distance to St. Armands.

BIRD KEY BOATERS PARADISE $5,500,000 Beautiful Bird Key custom home. 4BD/4BA +nursery/office w/ master. Many upgrades inside and out 100ft Sarasota Bay frontage w/ bay front infinity pool. Deep water slip w/new dock, large lift & 2 jet ski lifts. Four car garage.

LIDO KEY JACKSON $3,315,000 Gorgeous 3 level Coastal Home w/ elevator 6/BD - 5w/en-suite baths. Balcony off the Master + shared balcony on 3rd level. 3 minute bike ride to beach 3 minute walk to St. Armand’s Circle.

Private heated pool w/covered gaming area & bar. 2 car garage.

ST. ARMANDS VAN BUREN $2,945,000 Stunning 3 Level Coastal Home features 5BD/4.5BA - including a Huge Master Bedroom with En Suite Bathroom - w/3 Living Spaces. Multiple Balconies & Patios, private heated pool & spa.

Landscaped & fenced for privacy.

SUPERB LOCATION $1,395,000 3BR/4BA Open plan w/ground floor master suite.

Deeded boat dock w/direct Bay access. Inviting pool in lush privacy.

Across from the beach.

Developers Realty Inc. Lic. Real Estate Broker

www.ReidMurphy.com

595 Bay Isles Road Longboat Key, FL 34228

347411-1

SOLD

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

FORECAST

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FRIDAY, MARCH 19

Submit your photos at YourObserver. com/ Weather. All submissions will be entered for the 202122 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.

Doug Blunt captured this full moon rising over the harbor at the Shore Restaurant on Longboat Key.

High: 71 Low: 59 Chance of rain: 7%

SATURDAY, MARCH 20 High: 73 Low: 60 Chance of rain: 15%

SUNDAY, MARCH 21 High: 73 Low: 61 Chance of rain: 17%

TIDES

SUNRISE / SUNSET

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, March 18 7:36a 7:41p Friday, March 19

7:35a

7:41p

Saturday, March 20

7:34a

7:42p

Sunday, March 21

7:33a

7:42p

Monday, March 22

7:35a

7:43p

Tuesday, March 23

7:31a

7:43p

Wednesday, March 24

7:29a

7:44p

MOON PHASES

April 4 Last

April 11 New

April 20 First

Highs

April 26 Full

Lows

Thursday, March 18

4:18a 3:01p

9:22a 11:20p

Friday, March 19

5:34a 3:34p 9:30a

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Saturday, March 20

— 4:14p 12:26a

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Sunday, March 21

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5:08p

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Monday, March 22

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6:27p 3:05a —

Tuesday, March 23

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8:04p

4:12a

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Wednesday, March 24 12:13p 9:26p

5:04a

4:07p

1:44a

MANASOTA FLOORING INC 349210-1

941.355.8437 | Bradenton

CROSSWORD

941.748.4679 | Venice

AD CREEP by Steve Mossberg; Edited by David Steinberg

941.493.7441 | www.manasotaonline.com 102 Tiny, cutesily 103 Traveler’s stopover 104 Finally decide on a home?

109 Taylor-Joy of “The Queen’s Gambit” 110 “Think again!”

111 Assortment 112 Moving wheels?

116 TikTok’s has a music note 117 Word after “end” or “time” 118 Took without asking 119 Finish lathering 120 ___ ex machina 121 CPR pros 122 Write an email, maybe 123 Haircuts that taper

46 Seeing the sights 47 “Don’t sweat it,” in a text 49 Part of WPM 50 Ignite, with “to” 52 “... available ___ request” 53 Blend 54 5:4 or 3:2 57 On or about 58 Kind of acid that kills ants 60 Vishnu, for one 61 “The Matrix” role 62 Joke 63 Shark part that sticks up 64 “Ich bin ___ Berliner” 65 In that case 66 Grp. with a phonetic alphabet 67 Read, as an e-ticket DOWN 1 Staple root in Nigerian food 68 Neighbors of Argentinians 72 You wouldn’t need this 2 World Cup shout clue if you had it (Abbr.)

3 Allow 73 Clawfoot ___ 4 “Gangnam Style” genre 77 Word often confused with 5 Banish from the kitchen, “fewer” perhaps 78 LaBelle of disco stardom 6 Overly elaborate 79 Sour apple candy’s color 7 Cannabis brownies, for 80 Deck out instance 83 Show embarrassment 8 Mega- times 1,000,000 84 Sesame or canola 9 Polluted Asian sea 85 Make things happen 10 Where going downhill 87 Ride a wave with minimal isn’t bad or no gear 11 Contain, as laughter 89 Raison d’___ 12 Printer choice 90 Grim Reaper costume 13 “Que ___?” props 14 Service for a stressed 91 One may dilate a pupil partner 15 Major tennis tournament 93 Golfer’s posture ©2021 Universal Uclick ACROSS contest with music like 77 Links org. for Stacy Lewis 16 Like a smell you can’t miss 94 “Psst!” briefly 95 Fully grasp 17 Bit of help 1 “Sunny” egg parts “Don’t Stop Believin’”?

81 Chaplin of “The Comey 51 Japanese wrestling 19 Mani-pedi board material 96 Add up (to) 6 Greek cheese 30 Texting format initials Rule” 55 “___ we forget” 97 Irish beer named for its 27 State by Ky. 10 Send, like a package 82 Zoom or Disney+ 33 Singer Lavigne 56 “Closing Bell” network color 28 Resulted in 14 Part of a hedge 34 Great Lakes tribe 83 Drag show accessory 58 Borscht ingredient 98 How a Reuben is served 29 Price 18 A, in Hebrew school 35 Dark cloud, perhaps 86 Buzzing “facial hair” 59 Imitated 99 Enzyme suffix 30 Sandbank 19 Venerable villager 36 Like a somewhat rich 60 Trying to be a champion 88 H.S. diploma alternative 104 Uttered 31 Tree with a Japanese 20 Hawaiian coffee region dessert?

90 You may fold one while at provoking?

105 Finance expert Orman variety 21 Italian wine region 40 Did karaoke eating it 65 Just for laughs 106 Manitoba-to-Quebec 32 Lots and lots 22 Movement Tarana Burke 41 Soap ___ (TV drama) 92 Orthopedic prefix 69 Run on TV again direction 37 Building in a campus row started on MySpace 42 December visitor 93 Closed 70 Quakers 107 Pretentiously creative 38 Vehicle with a meter 23 “Schitt’s Creek” matri43 “Life Goes On” boy band 71 Ability to see past super- 95 Teaching staff’s swank 108 Branch of Islam 39 De Armas of “Knives Out” arch ficiality? ride?

44 Checking one’s work 43 Garment usually made of 113 “Your point being?”

24 Varieties 74 Telescope sight email 24/7, say 100 Shred 114 Put into play 25 Dad jokes and such 75 Leaning Tower’s city 48 Dim sum bun 101 ___ Kitchen (frozen food terry cloth 115 “___ Miserables” 45 Where to keep track of 26 Top prize at a karaoke 49 Anti-smoking spot, e.g., 76 Street’s edging brand) points

CELEBRITY CIPHER

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

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“OJTLJTP C ONU CE N UKXFW MP ITTKCES RNBKG MP JNYCES LPMXRKT MII LJT ICTKB, LJT MEKG LJCES LM BM ONU HTTW UOCESCES.”

– JNEH NNPME

“SFMN (SFD MWMNF) MN GTD WJED GV RDGRYD VGW BFGH RNOEFGJTJYONMN MN GV TG ZND BFJSNGDADW.” – NMLHZTU VWDZU Puzzle Two Clue: A equals V

Sarasota

SAVE ON SELECT COLORS & STYLE

Puzzle One Clue F equals M

CARPET

© 2021 NEA, Inc.

SUDOKU

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

©2021 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

03-18-21

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

RED PAGES INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

Items Under $200 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

GARAGE SALE Advertise as low as $17.50 per week!

MARINA SLIP for sale. Longboat Key Club.

Moorings Lot C-01. $150k.

62 x 21.

Call Steve: 727-898-9388.

SELL YOUR STUFF HERE! 941-955-4888 PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE: YourObserver.com/RedPages

941-955-4888

Boats

MEN’S SIZE large Murano black leather jacket.

Nearly new; excellent condition. Orig. 500; $175.

(941) 224-1253.

2021 BOTE AD 10' 9" Length board with Paddle.

One board for everythingFishing machine or family fun.

In Perfect Condition with Board Bag: $1,350.

(917) 821-4564.

SIT DOWN Cubii eliptical exercise machine. Like new. $150. 443-414-9631.

March 19th-21st Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 9am to 6pm Numbers go out at 8am 2016 Mercedes Benz C 300 class with only 31,000 miles on it fully loaded, Swarovski crystals, Waterford crystal, 25c antique slot machine, clocks, patio furniture, beautiful apothecary cabinet, pair of twin beds, living room furniture, gorgeous dining room table and chairs, books, artwork, kitchenwares, garage-wares, and lots and lots of bric-and-brac.

For more Information call Ken at: 941-356-3318. antiquesandchatchkes.com

Estate Sales Conducted By: Antiques & Chatchkes

auto

6528 38th Lane East Sarasota, FL 34243 (Bradenton) (Rio Mar)

Condos/Apts. for Rent Located in the Resort at Longboat Key Club

RED PAGES (1) BEDROOM DIRECT BEACHFRONT

CALL TODAY 941-955-4888

MONTHLY RENTAL MINIMUM

502 - 558 -7845

Autos Wanted

Advertise your business or service in the Observer

VRBO #2082812

Condos/Apts. for Sale

BUY STUFF HERE! YourObserver.com/RedPages

CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

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

941-809-3660, 941-809-3662.

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

Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

Condos/Apts. for Sale FOR SALE: 2BD/2BA second floor corner unit w/ cathedral ceilings, largest 2 bedroom in the complex. Palmer Ranch.

1,200 sqft + large lanai. Gated community, tennis court, clubhouse, and pool. $215,000. 941-358-6001.

This week’s Crossword answers

GOLDEN GATE POINT: Beautiful 2BR/1BA, top floor, end unit, remodeled kitchen and bathroom, polished Terrazzo floors, peek-a-boo views of bay from every room, For Sale: $332,900.

303-944-8300. eceonlbk@msn.com Please no agents.

SELL STUFF HERE! YourObserver.com/RedPages

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers

Puzzle One Solution: “Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”

Hank Aaron Puzzle Two Solution: “This (the Irish) is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever.”

– Sigmund Freud

This week’s Sudoku answers

©2021 Universal Uclick

RED PAGES. MADE FOR WHERE YOU LIVE. HERE! TO ADVERTISE CALL 941-955-4888 OR VISIT WWW.YOUROBSERVER.COM/REDPAGES

©2021 NEA, Inc.

Boat Slips for Rent/Sale

Spring Estate Sale

You’re only cheating yourself.

stuff

THERESA SISTO FORMER HAIRSTYLIST AT TINA' BEAUTY SALON Theresa Sisto, former hairstylist at Tina's Beauty Salon has relocated. She is now at Scissors Styling Studio, located at 4308, Suite D, 75th St W Bradenton FL, 34209.

(941)747-6806.

This is an established salon in a new location. A quaint, clean salon, following Covid-19 regulations. Private appointments and outdoor appointments available, by appointment only.

Looking forward to seeing you. (941) 747-6806.

YourObserver.com/RedPages

Garage/ Moving/ Estate Sales

peekers’ place

Announcements

POST YOUR AD WITH EASE.

MOW OVER the competition!

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.

FOR SALE: KAYAK; SANTEE 140T 2-seater, lightweight, 5yrs old, seldom used; white and orange with seats, oars, car rack, life vests. $1100.00. Call: 616-710-2910.

351953

DEADLINES: Classifieds - Monday at 2PM Service Directory - Friday at 3PM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card

Sporting Goods

real estate

redpages@yourobserver.com • yourobserver.com/redpages

COZY COTTAGE Sandpiper AMI 55+. 1.5 minute walk to the beach or bay, near pool. 1BA/1BR, W/D for sale or rent.

Call: 941-251-4767 leave message.

VINTAGE ST. ARMANDS: 3BR/2BA, fireplace, formal living room, Florida room, 2 blocks from the Circle and beaches. furnished. $3000/mo + utilities.

Small pets okay. All other services included.

813-778-3252.

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals LONGBOAT KEY: Beachfront Condos, 1st or 2nd floor, 2BR/2BA, W/D in units, free Wi-Fi, heated pool, & parking.

Call 941-383-3338.

WEEKLY/MONTHLY

LBK BEACH Harbor Club 2BD/2BA Condo 1062sqft Fully updated corner unit with new furnishing $349,000.

Call Jean: 941-524-0264.

Luxurious 4 Bed 4 Bath Built in 2020 Lakefront Lakewood Ranch $1,599,900 Everything Updated Sarasota's Phillipi Gardens 3/2/2 $359,900 55+ Beach and Boating: One story villa 2BED-2BATH $424,000

Beachfront, Bayfront and In Houses or Condos EPIC HOME CARE Personal Care-Respite Care Alzheimer’s Care-Light Cleaning Med Administration-Meal Prep Shopping, Errands & More

wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com Visa/MC 5360 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Suite 101 Longboat Key, FL 34228

Call for a FREE Evaluation!

941-536-6372 EpicHomeCare@yahoo.com Rosa Torres- Owner

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

Call 941-726-2677.

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals 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.

NEED ASSISTANCE? A LENDING HAND HOME CARE

CLAUDIA C. Cleaning Services.

Experienced, dependable, and ready to begin!

Residential.

Excellent references.

941-773-6895.

BLUE DOLPHIN CAFE

GARAGE SALE

- Transportation - Meal Preparation - Light Housekeeping - Personal Care - Dementia Care - Companionship - Medical Reminders

Advertise as low as $17.50 per week!

Schedule your free in-home consultation today!

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

M-F Ask about our special rates!

Wagner Realty

PRIVATE NURSE Registered Nurse looking for part time private duty nursing work, pet lover, non smoker. Looking to help with light cleaning, errands, medication organization, breakfast and lunch preparing. Helping you follow doctors orders and whatever you need to get you back to good health.

Rate $30hr.

Have had COVID-19 Vaccine.

Call or Text Jessica at: (412) 851-0840.

Perfect Solutions For Seniors *Caregivers/Companions * CNA’s/HHA’s * Assistance with Daily Living Activities * Hourly 24/7 Care -Affordable Rates * Licensed/ Bonded/ Insured

Phone (941) 809-1438 HHA# 299994819

SELL IT NOW! 941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

Auto Service

FAST • EASY • SAFE

HoHoBuysCars.com

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.

Cleaning CLEANING BY Brazilian Lady.

Meticulous, reliable, deep cleaning specialist. Residential.

Commercial. New Construction.

941-400-2866.

5-Star Rated

We Are So Thankful for our Customers

CARPET CLEANING • TILE • GROUT UPHOLSTERY STAIN • CONTROL

4 LIVE MAINE LOBSTER 4 BLUE FIN CRAB CAKES 4 PRIME RIB 4 SALMON PICCATA ALL ENTREES SERVED WITH CHEF’S CHOICE STARCH & VEGETABLE

INCLUDING HOMEMADE PIES! AND MUCH MORE... JUST ASK...

VIRTUAL TAXES by H&R block Computer to computer Includes phone interview Safe info questions clayton.prowls@tax.hrblock.com

FRIDAYS OPEN 5P.M.-8P.M. SERVING DINNER ITEMS

Home Services

CALL FOR RESERVATIONS BEER & WINE AVAILABLE

ESTATE MANAGER/ HOUSEHOLD MANAGER Olga has ability to manage all of your properties with seamless service standard. As a highly organized and intelligent professional, I will represent your family in the highest manner. I have over 20 years of experience managing household services.

PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR MORE INFORMATION AND INQUIRIES. (248) 755-0327. www.olgascleanhouse.com

941-383-3787

FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE! Transportation LONGBOAT LIMOUSINE Your local luxury transportation provider since 1994.

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Wallpaper installation & removal, pressure washing.

Residential & commercial, condos. Honest & reliable.

Free estimates. 941-744-1020.

35+ years experience.

New luxury Sedans and SUVs. Fully Licenced and insured.

Call/Text 941-383-1235 E-mail: longboatlimousine @yahoo.com

Sliding Glass Door Repair

“FIX IT - DON’T REPLACE”

Dries in hours - not days.

Serving AMI/LBK/Bradenton Area for 25 years

941.778.2882 | 941.387.0607 Like Us on Facebook

FRIDAY **MARCH 19TH**

Doors

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

352973

941.270.4400

Auto Transport

Carpet Cleaning

SELL YOUR CAR! WE COME TO YOU

FRIDAY NIGHT DINNERS ARE BACK AT OUR LONGBOAT KEY CENTRE SHOPS LOCATION!!

ENTIRE REGULAR DINNER MENU ALSO AVAILABLE!

Financial Services

Since 1939 www.rentalsonlongboat.com

CALL 941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

941-809-3725 www.alhhomecare.com NR#30211577

home services

Call for coming soon listings.

Restaurants

SELL YOUR STUFF FAST!

Between

Longboat Key Beach House: on Canal, 2BED-2BATH, 1/CAR, Dock. $530,000. Owner/agent Private Boat Lift: beach access villa/condo Pet Friendly $399,000

Cleaning

SEASONAL RATES

Reservations 941-383-5577

Homes for Sale

Adult Care Services

Adult Care Services

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

353368

Homes for Rent

|

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!

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YourObserver.com

Landscaping & Lawn

CONSTRUCTION HANDYMAN

GladysKhabbaz@gmail.com 805 Molly Circle, Sarasota

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

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941-345-5264

specialty screens / screw replacement / paint

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941.504.2745 941.400.1563

shadylady_14x16magnet_FN.pdf

1

12/14/16

RED PAGES Bring Results | 941-955-4888 Doors and more!

Manufacture and workmanship Warranties

Trees

4:43 PM

(941) 345-5264

353386

Naji Aoun

11B

Screening

IMPROVE YOUR CURB APPEAL!

• Home Repairs & Maintenance • Interior & Exterior • Garage Floor Paint • Power Wash

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

353373

Handyman

|

352408

Health

THE BEST This Doctor is Among

FOR MORE INFO

Windows

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Made for where you live. Here!

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RED PAGES

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

Res./Com. 353387

SPINAL DECOMPRESSION PHYSICIANS IN AMERICA

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www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com

Call 941.358.2224 today to schedule a The Only Thing You Have To Lose ... Is The Pain!!

Pressure Washing

Insurance

25

UP TO

STANDARD WINDOWS

ows

120

$

SPECIAL 00 5

$

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Honesty, Integrity and Pride

EXPERIENCE KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS

• Roofs • PoolCages Cages•• Decks Decks ••Driveways • Roofs • Pool Driveways • Deck/Paver Sealing • Gutter Cleaning • Deck/PaverAnd Sealing • And Much More Much More!

Mike Mailliard ~ Lacey Weaver Allen Hovis Matthew Mailliard ~ Hannah Gamso Chloe Gardner

AFTER

Serving Sarasota/Manatee Area Since 2004

941-544-1066

BEFORE

| scaperotta@aol.com

Italian American Owned

GROW

YOUR BUSINESS Advertise as low as $85 per week.

Roofing

Kenneth Fuhlman Inc. Building & Roofing Contractor

Home • Condo • Auto • Umbrella • Boat

199923

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

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

ROCK STARS found here.

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RED PAGES Made for where you live. Here!

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Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936

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Purified water window cleaning available!!

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|

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021

Coldwell Banker Realty Congratulates

THE ACKERMAN GROUP #

#

RYAN ACKERMAN ryan@ackermangroup.net

1

Coldwell Banker Realty Small Team in Florida Again for 2020

8

Coldwell Banker Realty Small Team in North America BARBARA ACKERMAN barbara@ackermangroup.net

A SELECTION OF THE ACKERMAN GROUP’S MOST EXQUISITE LISTINGS

SARASOTA | WEST OF TRAIL

8,452 SF, 230’ of Unobstructed Waterfront | $18,000,000 Harbor Acres Direct Bay Front MLS# A4491997

SARASOTA | OYSTER BAY ESTATES 4 bedrooms, 4 full baths $2,595,000 1421 N. Lake Shore Drive MLS# A4487508

LONGBOAT KEY | QUEENS HARBOUR

3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 1 half-bath | $1,235,000 3561 Fair Oaks Lane MLS# A4490493

SARASOTA | DOWNTOWN 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths $1,795,000 267 Cosmopolitan Court MLS# A4485780

Ryan Ackerman 941.387.1818 Barbara Ackerman 941.387.1820 www.ackermangroup.net THE NAME TO KNOW IN REAL ESTATE

COLDWELL BANKER REALTY | 443 JOHN RINGLING BLVD., STE., F | SARASOTA, FL 34236 This is not a solicitation of another broker’s listings.

348306-1

12B

. . . t i a W But

S ’ E R THE !

E R MO

XNLV19038

Flip the page for more sales and specials!

Est. 1987

Cosmetics, Implants and Bite Reconstruction Actual Patients

Smile Makeovers and Veneers

Before

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(941) 999-3205 | SarasotaDentist.com 3951 Swift Rd., Sarasota, FL 34231 352944-1

Our team at World Class Dentistry treats patients with a multitude of concerns which streamlines treatment and maintains quality control. The doctors along with their master dental technicians and on-site laboratory offer complete cosmetic and implant solutions.

We have been serving the Sarasota area since 1987. Call today for a consultation to begin your life-changing transformation.

Jill Morris, DMD

Burr Bakke, DDS

Cameron Johnson, DMD

• Accredited Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (only 550 accredited dentists worldwide)

• Fellow of the American Dental Implant Association

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• Post Doctoral Instructor of Full Mouth Reconstruction

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Advanced Care and Dental Technology at One Location Stay Connected With Us

(941) 999-3205 | 3951 Swift Rd., Sarasota, FL 34231

March 11th and 18th, 2021

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

Coldwell Banker Realty 423 St. Armands Circle Sarasota, FL 34236

Website: www.LongboatKeyLuxury.com | Email: Kepecz@JudyHays.com

941.587.1700

Judy Kepecz-Hays

$2.2 BILLION IN CAREER SALES

Steven Kepecz

941.387.1825

Over $185 Million SOLD & PENDING in 2020

$125+ Million CLOSED and $60+ Million PENDING SALES New Market he On T

04 ce 8

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Ritz-Carlton Managed 04 ce 3

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Foyer 1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive #804 $3,750,000 | MLS A4493203 Rarely available phenomenal floor plan with both direct west beach/sunset views and bay-to-city east views, 3 bedrooms plus den or 4 bedrooms. www.TheBeachResidences804.com

Theater

Guest Suite

1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive #304 $1,548,000 | MLS A4493202 Elegand 3rd floor villa residence with captivating sunset glows. Open floor plan, well designed 2 bedrooms/2 bath, spacious wrap-around terrace. www.TheBeachResidences304.com

Fitness Room 1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive #1007 $2,800,000 Phenomenal wrap-around views of sunset, beach, Sarasota Bay, Bird Key and nature trails. 3 bedrooms/2.5 bath, impeccable finishes, custom moldings, and marble floors. www.TheBeachResidences1007.com 353363-1

CONGRATULATIONS

Kepecz-Hays & Buky Team Coldwell Banker Realty

94

#1 Large Team in Southwest Region

Herald Tribune 03/07/2021

Over $185 Million SOLD & PENDING in 2020

$125+ Million CLOSED and $60+ Million PENDING SALES LD

LD

SO

SO

1111 $995 Enjo & He resid Ritzof th www

139 S. Washington Drive

3313 Sabal Cove Drive

January & February 2020 vs 2021 Longboat Key (34228) Condominiums Price Point Under $1,000,000 $1,000,000 to $2,500,000 $2,500,000 to $5,000,000 Over $5,000,000

Year 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021

Sold 40 58 12 12 1 3 1

Active 22 6 -

Lido Shores/Lido Key/St Armands/Bird Key/Sarasota (34236) Condominiums Average Sold $524,604 $611,309 $1,279,583 $1,338,083 $2,925,000 $3,199,000 $5,700,000

Longboat Key (34228) Single Family Homes Price Point Under $1,000,000 $1,000,000 to $2,500,000 $2,500,000 to $5,000,000 Over $5,000,000

Year 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021

Sold 7 9 3 16 3 3 4

Active 2 5 2 1

Price Point Under $1,000,000 $1,000,000 to $2,500,000 $2,500,000 to $5,000,000 Over $5,000,000

Year 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021

Sold 90 114 39 24 4 38 1

Active 29 13 6 3

Average Sold $662,544 $531,192 $1,275,260 $1,702,920 $3,237,500 $3,416,027 $7,828,000

Lido Shores/Lido Key/St Armands/Bird Key/Sarasota (34236) Single Family Homes Average Sold $712,857 $800,583 $1,433,333 $1,507,344 $3,561,667 $3,151,000 $6,645,000

Price Point Under $1,000,000 $1,000,000 to $2,500,000 $2,500,000 to $5,000,000 Over $5,000,000

Year 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021

Sold 9 14 9 8 7 1 1

Active 7 9 1 1

Average Sold $627,889 $488,892 $1,892,508 $1,388,650 $3,606,429 $2,700,000 $6,650,000

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1300 $2,6 TheB

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

Website: www.LongboatKeyLuxury.com | Email: Kepecz@JudyHays.com

941.587.1700

Judy Kepecz-Hays

1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive #1006 | Ritz-Carlton $995,000 | MLS A4143524 Enjoy picturesque views of Sarasota Bay & Her Islands. Elegant 1 BR, 1.5 bath residence with high ceilings in the coveted Ritz-Carlton w/5-star amenities in the heart of the City. www.Ritz-Carlton1006.com

Pets Welcome

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Coldwell Banker Realty 423 St. Armands Circle Sarasota, FL 34236

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$2.2 BILLION IN CAREER SALES

7107 Hawks Harbor Circle | Hawks Harbor $699,900 | MLS A4458161 This 3 bed/3 bath home resides in the gated enclave of Hawks Harbor with a deeded boat slip on a double lot. Immaculately kept w/stunning hardwood floors, updated kitchen and cozy wood burning fireplace.

Mature lush landscaping located close to all Sarasota has to offer! www.7107HawksHarborCircle.com

Ritz-Carlton Managed

Steven Kepecz

941.387.1825

916 North Casey Key Road | GULF to BAY $4,975,000 | MLS A4408082 200 ft. private beach, 2 guest homes on the Gulf of Mexico. On the bayside, main residence with 3 bedrooms, pool, dock, and lift. Total 1.5 acres. Enjoy year-round sunrise and sunsets. www.916NCaseyKeyRoad.com

Ritz-Carlton Beach Club

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Your View 1300 Ben Franklin Drive #606 $2,675,000 | MLS A4445110 TheBeachResidences606.com

1300 Ben Franklin Drive #708 $2,350,000 | MLS A4471978 TheBeachResidences708.com

Amenities: over 400 ft. of Gulf frontage,guest suites, 2 pets-no weight limit! Dedicated staff & legendary resort-style amenities.

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

Coldwell Banker Realty 423 St. Armands Circle Sarasota, FL 34236

Website: www.LongboatKeyLuxury.com | Email: Kepecz@JudyHays.com

941.587.1700

Judy Kepecz-Hays

$2.2 BILLION IN CAREER SALES

Steven Kepecz

941.387.1825

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3448 Mistletoe Lane | Corey's Landing $1,550,000 | MLS A4493244 Spectacular Sarasota Bay views from your master bedroom, great room and bayfront Terraces. Open floor plan, 3 bedrooms/ 3 bath, renovated kitchen, bathrooms, flooring and so much more! Private deeded beach access. www.3448Mistletoe.com

I N G ppen!

D N PE t ha

1050 Longboat Club Road #304 | Privateer $749,000 | MLS A4485457 Indulge in luxury and privacy in this completely updated residence on the beach within the gates of The Longboat Key Club, Islandside. 2/2, 1,409 sq. ft. Olympic sized heated pool, spa, tennis, sauna, BBQ, gas firepit and more. www.1050LongboatClub304.com

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2020 Harbourside Drive #442 | Fairway Bay $455,000 | MLS A4490699 Sarasota Bay is your backyard with endless views of the mainland. This residence glows with lights as a diamond bracelet glows at night. Instant enjoyment awaits you in this updated 2 bedrooms/2 bath residence on the 4th floor of Fairway Bay. Private deeded beach. www.FairwayBay442.com

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50 Central Ave Penthouse 16 South | Plaza At Five Points $2,499,000 | MLS A4454416 Magnificent and breathtaking views from each and every room in this open design plan with 4,000 sq. ft. Walls of glass to view all of Sarasota & Her Islands. Endless amenities and upgrades in this 3 bedroom plus den. 3 parking spaces. www.PlazaAtFivePoints16G.com

1281 Gulf of Mexico Drive #401 | Water Club $3,600,000 | MLS A4489409 | Furnished BEACHFRONT - Water Club II. Choice southwest corner on 4th level. Furnished 3 bedrooms plus den or 4 bedrooms 3,460 sq. ft. of understated elegance with SUNSETS and endless Gulf of Mexico views. www.WaterClub401.com