Those interested in supporting sea turtle research while enjoying a night on the town have the perfect, new night in store.
Three iconic restaurants on the island are collaborating to support the new Longboat Key Turtle Crawl, benefiting the Longboat Key Turtle Watch.
The participating restaurants are Harry’s Continental Kitchens, Lazy Lobster and Lo’ Key Island Grille. Guests will sample small curated plates with a wine or cocktail pairing at each location.
Save the date for 6-8 p.m. May 7. Tickets are $100 plus taxes and fees. Visit LBKTurtleCrawl.com to register, and email TurtleCrawl@RyderWild. com for sponsorship opportunities.
New source of Easter joy
Residents at Longboat Harbour
Condominiums are no strangers to ringing in the holidays in style. But this marked the first year that the association held a family Easter egg hunt on April 4. Event coordinator Karen Pashkow said the outdoor event went swimmingly, with plenty of families turning out for the morning egg hunt. If anyone got too warm, they could try out some of the dozen other activities for the holiday part, from diving in the pool for gold doubloons to racing paper sailboats. Based on the positive feedback, they hope to bring the event back next year.
Dana Kampa
Dana Kampa
Connie DiMaggio contends with an unfortunate capsizing of her straw-propelled sailboat.
Dana Kampa
Dana Kampa
Lardner, 3, makes an impressive start filling up her Easter basket with the help of Kelly Lardner and family at the April 3 Sand Cay
WEEK OF APRIL 9, 2026
BY
THE
NUMBERS
$1.3
“We have the most secure building in the entire town.”
Unicorp President Chuck Whittall on St. Regis Longboat Key
Read more on page 5A
Tingley Library makes plea to community
The Tingley Memorial Library in Bradenton Beach was given a permanent home in 1986 thanks to a generous donation. Now, 40 years after Beluah Tingley bequeathed her estate to the city with instructions to use the funds to expand the library, the building Tingley funded the construction of needs renovations and the community’s help.
“Today, while the building remains structurally sound, hurricane damage and Florida’s climate have created an urgent
need for major repairs beyond our current means,” a letter from the library’s board reads. “We’re asking for your help.”
Repairs to the 2,800-squarefoot building across from City Hall include replacing the HVAC system, front stairs, back stairs and accessibility ramp.
“With these improvements, the library’s dedicated volunteers and part-time staff member(s) can continue connecting readers with books, preserving local history, and hosting community programs,” the letter states.
“Contributors will be recognized on the library’s donor wall.” Tingley Library Director Stephanie Katz said repair costs are estimated at $230,000. The library does not receive public funding, operating solely on donations from the community. Donations can either be mailed to the library at 111 Second St. N. or made online at Zeffy.com/EnUS/Fundraising/Repair-TingleyLibrary.
The Tingley Memorial Library is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Lease signed for Sarasota Children’s
Museum
An emerging museum that has been gaining momentum has found its future home in Sarasota. The Sarasota Children’s Museum has signed a lease for 19,000 square feet at Wilkinson Elementary School. In a Monday morning social media post, museum officials say the deal is contingent upon approval by the Sarasota County Board, and they hope to have the keys in hand by July 1. An opening date for the museum has not been shared.
When it opens, the Sarasota Children’s Museum will provide immersive learning experiences for families at the campus on Wilkinson Road. There, the school operates at 50% capacity. Wilkinson Elementary had been considered for closure but was later moved onto a list of schools that would be transformed into K-8 campuses in the coming years. The goal for Wilkinson was to operate at 78% capacity in the 2028–29 academic year.
Signing a lease is the latest success for the group, which in February received a $250,000 grant from the Barancik Foundation so it could transition from all-volunteer to an executive director-led organization.
New
volunteer
board members picked by Commission
Longboat Key Town Commission appointed two new members to the Planning and Zoning Board, Doreen Mitchell and Kevin Giordano. They will replace Eddie Abrams, who resigned from his position on the board due to personal reasons, and Nick Gladding, who resigned after he was elected unopposed to Town Commission. Mitchell’s term expires in May 2027, and Giordano’s term will expire in May 2029.
The Consolidated Retirement System Board of Trustees also had an opening following Frank Cona’s resignation. Filling that seat will be Mark Marcantano on a two-year term expiring in May 2028. Ronald Ginsberg was appointed to the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization Citizen Advisory Committee.
S.T. Cardinal
The Tingley Library in Bradenton Beach, pictured in October 2025, is in need of repairs estimated at $230,000.
Beach traffic
Traffic in Bradenton Beach continues to slow down, causing headaches for Longboaters.
S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER
When Maureen Merrigan plans get-togethers with her family in Cortez, she schedules them based on the weather and time of day.
That’s because on a good beach day, that 15-minute trip to the mainland from her home on the northern end of Longboat Key can become an hourlong drive.
To get to Cortez from the northern end of Longboat Key, she has to drive through the southern end of Anna Maria Island. Rows of shortterm rentals, restaurants, bars and the Bridge Street Pier stand between Longboaters on their way to Cortez and Bradenton. Those attractions bring thousands of visitors — and traffic.
“The beach traffic just really jams it up, just stops it,” Merrigan said. “And it’s huge lots that are off (Longboat Key), which we don’t really have much control of, and that Bridge Street pedestrian area.”
Town Clerk Trish Shinkle commutes from Bradenton to Town Hall every day. She also said delays in her commute stem from people leaving the beach parking lots.
“It’s all the cars coming out of the beach,” Shinkle said. “They just keep coming.”
That’s frustrating because Bradenton Beach isn’t the destination for most people leaving Longboat Key.
“On the north end when I leave the north end of Longboat Key, I’m typically not going to Anna Maria Island,” Merrigan said. “I’m going into Bradenton. To a doctor, to a dentist, to a Home Depot or to the airport.”
Bradenton Beach traffic is on another level than Longboat’s.
According to Florida Department of Transportation data, the annual average daily traffic at Gulf Drive and Fourth Street South is 17,000 vehicles, 79% more traffic than the northern corridor of Longboat Key sees. And Bradenton Beach traffic has risen year over year. From 2009 to 2021, the number of vehicles passing by the FDOT checkpoint hovered around 11,000. That grew to 13,329 in 2022, then 13,900 in 2023, then 15,500 in 2024. Last year saw another hike in traffic to 17,000. Thats more than a 50% increase in traffic in four years.
Andre Wilkinson hosts bingo night at Drift-in AMI at Bradenton Beach. He leaves his house in Bradenton hours before the first number is pulled.
“I’m usually here from 1 to 5. I do the entertainment at the bar. To get down here in time, I have to leave my house around 10 o’clock just to get
here for 1 o’clock,” Wilkinson said.
“It’s almost like clockwork. Right around 10:30, 11 o’clock, everything starts backing up and you’re just sitting in traffic. Thirty minutes-plus waiting in traffic to come over the bridge.”
PD&E TIME
As traffic increases year after year, town leaders hear the feedback from Longboat residents. Longboat Key Town Commissioner Steve Branham is a board member of the Sarasota/ Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization and said “the nature of the roadways and how they’re designed” is a part of the problem.
State Road 789 on Anna Maria Island is mostly a two-lane road with some median turn lanes that give drivers access to parking lots.
At Coquina Beach, an expansive lot with free parking is often filled.
“The bottleneck is the Bradenton Beach area for two reasons. One, Coquina Beach and the traffic in and out of there, which is significant, trying to merge all those exits coming out of the Coquina Beach parking lot, and two, the Cortez Bridge,” Branham said.
FDOT is spending big on infrastructure in the area. More than $135 million is being spent to replace the Cortez Bridge and the state could spend a similar amount on replacing the Longboat Pass Bridge eventually. While those hundred-million-dollar bridges are necessary investments as the existing spans are more than 65 years old, they’re not expected to solve the traffic issue.
“If you’re sitting on Longboat Pass Bridge in traffic waiting to go to Cortez, you’re going to wait for the bridge to close so you can pass over it, and then run right into the back of traffic that’s waiting a little bit farther north,” Branham said. “So I don’t think it’s going to significantly change with a high-level bridge that doesn’t restrict flow. It’s just going to be crowded because that’s not the bottleneck, if you ask me.”
Road improvements aren’t planned between the two bridge projects, but a Project Development and Environment study is evaluating proposed improvements to State Road 789 on Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach. The project website describes a goal to “evaluate multimodal alternatives for the main north-south corridor on Anna Maria Island traversing cities of Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach.”
“FDOT will consider strategies to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and enhance mobility options for all users along the study corridor while maintaining the quality of life for residents and visitors,” the project website states. “Multimodal alternatives will be studied to meet the project needs and goals.”
FDOT did not respond to questions about barrier island traffic issues in time for publication. The Barrier Island PD&E study costs about $1.7 million and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The next phase would be the design phase if FDOT decides to make improvements to State Road 789 based on the findings of the PD&E study.
Traffic decongestion isn’t mentioned as a goal of improvements, but Branham said he hopes the PD&E will lead to “projects that can be identified as the most beneficial to dealing with the problems.”
AN ALTERED TIME CLOCK
If you’ve ever wondered why Longboat Key town offices close at 4 instead of 5, try driving off the island at the traditional quitting time during peak season.
Shinkle has commuted to Longboat Key from Bradenton for years and remembers when town offices still closed at 5 p.m. It was quite the hassle getting home.
“I remember one night sitting on the bridge and I texted (former town manager) Tom Harmer and said ‘I’m still on the bridge, but I got to see the sun set and the moon rise.’ That night it was like two hours,” Shinkle said.
Since the town changed its hours to open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 4 p.m., she said the commute has been more bearable. But there are still bad days during busy season.
The inevitable Bradenton Beach backup has not only caused a change in town office hours, but leads residents to alter their habits. Merrigan said altering schedules around Bradenton Beach traffic is part of the north-end resident experience.
“In terms of what you experience as a resident up here, you just know when to go off the island and when to come back on the island,” Merrigan
“It’s almost like clockwork. Right around 10:30, 11 o’clock, everything starts backing up and you’re just sitting in traffic. Thirty minutes-plus waiting in traffic to come over the bridge.”
— Andre Wilkinson
said. “So if I want to go food shopping off the island or do anything off the north end. Go to the doctor, dentist, get a haircut, you have to leave in a way that you’re not coming back on the island before noon because the traffic backs up so much in town to come back on the island.”
KEYS DOWN, HELMET ON
Another strategy north-end residents take to avoid traffic congestion is to ride a bike rather than drive.
Residents commonly pedal the 3-mile trip from the northern tip of Longboat Key to the mainland, bypassing traffic jams.
“If I want to go to see my parents or relatives in Cortez in the afternoon, I take a bike always, and I ride past all the traffic,” Merrigan said. “You just ride right past them, and it’s a safe ride because no one is moving.”
Longboat Key employees use bikes to bypass traffic, as well. Shinkle said a large chunk of the Public Works team pedals to the beach. The Public Works office is located on General Harris Street a little more than a mile from the Longboat Pass Bridge.
“One day, when we had our commission meeting that went to 5 o’clock and I didn’t get out of here until 5:15, I was sitting on the bridge and Public Works guys were buzzing by me on their electric bikes,” Shinkle said. “So they got home earlier than I did.”
Andre Wilkinson runs bingo and other entertainment at Drift-in AMI. He often leaves his Bradenton house hours before his shift on the island even though his commute is just 7 miles.
Longboat residents and employees commonly pedal past traffic heading north off the island as Bradenton Beach backups extend even south of the Longboat Pass Bridge during peak season.
Traffic is often bumper to bumper on Gulf Drive South. During spring break, even rainy days didn’t stop tourists from flocking to Anna Maria Island.
Traffic images courtesy of Google Maps
Photos by S.T. Cardinal
Need exceeds county-surtax revenue
Town will need to make changes to how it plans to spend its share of Manatee, Sarasota money for such things as fire trucks.
Longboat Key has plans to spend about $7.5 million over the next 14 years on fire trucks, ambulances and other police, fire and EMS equipment.
But the revenue stream the town mainly uses to pay for replacement equipment isn’t expected to cover everything on the town’s list. According to a presentation made to Longboat Key’s Citizen Tax Oversight Committee, there’s a $6 million imbalance between projected infrastructure surtax revenue and planned expenses.
Both Manatee and Sarasota county have voter-approved infrastructure sales taxes. In Manatee, a half-cent sales tax is levied. In Sarasota County, a one-cent tax.
The money levied is then distributed to the counties and municipalities within them based on population. For Longboat Key, that has been about $1 million a year the past three years from Sarasota County and $300,000 from Manatee County.
The town uses projections for what revenue will be for the duration of the tax collection period to make a 15-year capital improvement plan. That plan at the moment calls for spending $6 million more than what is expected to be collected on the Sarasota County side.
Of the $15.1 million, about half is set aside for public safety vehicle and equipment purchases, the biggest planned expense for the infrastructure surtax funds.
Longboat Key Fire Chief Paul Dezzi shared recent price estimates with Town Commission during a workshop meeting in late March.
“How much do you think an ambulance costs? I’ll tell you: $370,000 with nothing in them. Nothing
inside. That’s just the nice pretty lights and the nice truck,” Dezzi said.
“Marine units cost $100,000. A ladder truck is $1.7 million. These are not cheap equipment, and these are all nonequipped.”
Finance Manager Sue Smith said increasing prices of equipment are leading to higher spending estimates than originally anticipated.
Smith said in some instances, the prices for equipment have doubled in the past five years.
The good news is adjustments can be made to the capital improvement plan to avoid pulling from other funds to pay for the replacement of equipment. The town’s budgeting process, which began with a goals and objectives workshop Monday, will allow the Town Commission and staff to come up with a strategy to come up with alternative ways of funding infrastructure needs in addition to the infrastructure surtax.
Smith said one thing that could be considered is financing replacement vehicles and apparatuses.
“One thing we can do is we can maybe lease finance fire trucks going forward,” Smith said. “We might have to pay a little more interest, but if we have to push it out and pay it
over time or over the life of the asset instead of trying to pay for it all in one year, that’s how we can do some of that.”
Another potential solution for the shortfall is removing 10% of the spending pie: canal dredging. As the town continues to discuss the possibility of enacting ad valorem assessments on properties to pay for the project, that could free up $1.5 million in the town’s infrastructure surtax spending plan.
“If we can use that canal money and use it toward public safety, that might fill the gap seeing that we have another funding source for canals, or eventually will have one,” Smith said.
On April 2, the town’s Citizen Tax and Oversight Committee met at Town Hall to evaluate the town’s infrastructure surtax expenditures past and future.
The meetings required by law result in a memo to Town Commission explaining the previous fiscal year’s operating results.
In 2025, the first year of phase IV of the infrastructure surtax, expenditures exceeded revenues by $239,190. That reduced the infrastructure surtax fund balance to $1.2 million.
SURTAX ELIGIBLE PURCHASES
Infrastructure has a broad definition by state law: Any fixed capital expenditure or fixed capital outlay associated with the construction, reconstruction, or improvement of public facilities that have a life expectancy of five or more years, any related land acquisition, land improvement, design and engineering costs, and all other professional and related costs required to bring the public facilities into service.
Below are examples of eligible purchases using the infrastructure surtax.
Land acquisition for public recreation or conservation
Capital assets and infrastructure with life expectancy of five or more years
Fire department vehicles, EMS vehicles, law enforcement vehicles
Equipment necessary to outfit emergency vehicles with life expectancy of five or more years
Energy efficiency improvements such as insulation, cooling systems and electric vehicle charging equipment
week, we’re going to submit revised documentation to them.”
Parsons said that while it is unique for properties in the town of Longboat Key to operate that long under a temporary certificate of occupancy — for St. Regis it’s been 22 months — it’s not unique for projects as large and complex as the St. Regis. It also doesn’t signify that the building was not safe or habitable, but was described more as waiting on finishing touches.
Now that those finishing touches are wrapping up, Whittall is looking ahead.
“We feel good. We’ve got a lot of projects going on, and once we complete a project it essentially becomes an operating asset, you move on and do the next one,” Whittall said. “We haven’t really been able to close out of this one.”
He’s also thinking about the future.
“We have a couple other projects on the property we’re going to do. We’re going to enhance the adult pool. We’re going to take Mangrove Island and we’re going to do a collab with a retail brand,” Whittall said.
“We’re going to add some tennis courts to the property. We’re doing that, but aside from that I have a dozen other projects going on in the state.”
Tennis courts on St. Regis are notable connection to the site, where the historic Colony Beach and Tennis Resort once stood.
STRONG AND BEHIND A DAM
Unicorp President Chuck Whittall speaks highly of the durability of the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort’s buildings.
“We have the most secure building in the entire town,” he said. “During the two hurricanes we had within 13 days of each other, we were probably the only property on Longboat Key that didn’t have a drop of water in it.”
Even so, the resort hasn’t yet checked all the boxes to receive its certificate of occupancy. Flood-proofing requirements were something the town and Unicorp went back and forth with. A flood dam was purchased by the resort to protect the property from storm surge, and Whittall said “we assumed that would meet the flood-proofing requirements, as well.”
With its certificate of occupancy expected soon, the St. Regis considers adding tennis and pickleball courts.
S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER
It’s been almost two years since the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort received its temporary certificate of occupancy and began operation.
But as soon as this month, the luxury development could receive its permanent certificate, and it could pave the way for additions to
the resort-condominium property.
Unicorp President and St. Regis Longboat Key owner Chuck Whittall said the delay was partly due to a difference between federal and local requirements. The “dry floodproofing” sealant the resort installed was not completed to a high enough elevation initially.
“The town’s requirement is 14 feet above sea level where FEMA’s requirement is 12. When we permitted the project, we permitted it per FEMA requirement,” Whittall said.
“When we finished the project the town said, ‘Oh, our town requirement is higher than FEMA, we need you to adjust your floodproofing,’ which is water sealing. So we went around the entire property and raised the level up 2 more feet to meet the
14-foot requirement, which is finished.”
Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Director Allen Parsons said Whittall’s team is close to receiving its permanent certificate.
“It has been completed and then what’s needed now at this point are certifications from the design professional that’s involved in that,” Parsons said. “The application has been completed, but the documentation that’s associated with that is now kind of getting finalized.”
Whittall said his architect will prepare a letter to the town with clarifications on flood-proofing measurements.
“We had a conference call (March 31) with the town, and we believe we’re there,” he said. “By early next
“We think everybody will be excited about them,” Whittall said. “I think we’re going to add three tennis courts and three pickleball courts. We’re going to put it up toward the front of the property.”
Parsons said Unicorp inquired with the town about some of its future plans, adding that changes like tennis courts would need Town Commission approval as it would require an amendment to the Planned Unit Development agreement.
“Several months back, they did inquire about adding pickleball courts and then also potentially adding additional square footage adjacent to some of the restaurants,” Parsons said. “It was an inquiry about that, and nothing has been submitted to the town to review.”
The town disagreed, even retaining counsel in October upon the possibility the matter headed to a hearing.
That hearing ultimately wasn’t necessary as the resort decided to install additional flood-proofing via water-resistant sealant.
“It just cost some more money,” Whittall said, comparing the requirements to “extreme belt and suspenders” given the resort’s resistance to storm impacts.
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Reusing for reuse
Wastewater pipeline will be left in place when replacement installed.
S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER
The town’s wastewater pipeline connecting the island to a mainland treatment plant is more than 51 years old.
The 20-inch ductile iron pipe was installed in 1973 and put into service in 1975.
In 2020, that pipe failed, leaking somewhere between 11 million and 17 million gallons of sewage. That 22-square-inch rupture was blamed in part on a buried log that had been underneath the pipe since it was constructed.
The leak made it evident to town leaders that a replacement was necessary, a process that has been in the works since. The landward section of the pipe was replaced in 2023 for $2.6 million. Construction of the underwater portion is expected to begin later this year.
The old pipe will remain.
“The town looks at it as a very expensive conduit to the mainland,” Longboat Key Utility Manager Jessie Camburn said. “So once our new pipeline is in service and we aren’t using the old main anymore, we want to preserve it so at some point we can reline it. When you reline the inside of a pipe, it makes it like brand new again.”
Relining it is a complicated endeavor, but it’s cheaper than constructing a new pipe from scratch. The process, called cured-in-place pipe lining, was described by Camburn as essential three steps.
First, a bag is threaded through the empty pipe. Then, the bag is inflated to the interior diameter of the pipe. Third, hot water is run through the system, “cooking” the bag and curing it in place as a new layer between the iron pipe and material flowing through.
“Right now, it’s not doable,” Camburn said. “There’s technology coming out soon that they think they can do a stretch that long because it’s 11,000 feet long. But on smaller lines we do it all the time here on Longboat Key.”
Camburn said if and when the old pipe is relined, it could then be used to transport treated wastewater back to the island to be used as irrigation.
“They treat it to the point that we can now pump it back to our yards and irrigate with,” Camburn said.
“Right now, Manatee County is running out of reuse water, which is good. They’re using as much wastewater as they can to turn into reuse. Though some day, they predict 20 years from now, we might be able to get that source, as well.”
The only thing that has been decided by the town is leaving the old pipeline in place. With technology not progressed enough, and Manatee County reuse water inventory capped out, the town is merely envisioning a possible reuse of the metal pipe that will continue to lay where it has sat for decades.
“It’s a way-future project,” Camburn said. “It’s years and years out. But it’s thinking ahead. It’s thinking of an option and protecting a resource. It’s a very expensive conduit that’s installed under the bay. If we can find out how to refurbish it, it’s very valuable.”
Don’t panic about sports betting in Florida
Although some are concerned access to sports betting may increase gambling addiction, data show the number of those with a problem has remained stable over the past 35 years.
Calls to Florida’s gambling helpline have surged 138% since legal sports betting launched in 2023, according to the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling. But before Florida legislators contemplate restrictions that would push bettors back into the arms of offshore sportsbooks, they should ask a basic question: Do rising helpline calls actually mean more Floridians are becoming addicted to gambling? The answer is no.
When Massachusetts legalized mobile sports betting in early 2023, calls to its gambling helpline shot up by 121%. But of those roughly 2,000 calls received in the months after launch, more than 1,000 were not from people struggling with addiction at all. They were bettors trying to figure out how to use their new apps.
“The spike was driven largely by sports wagering advertisements listing the helpline number, which confused customers into calling it for technical support,” said the Massachusetts Department of Pub-
lic Health. Florida has one legal mobile sportsbook. Hard Rock Bet is new and heavily advertised, and its advertisements prominently display the 888-ADMIT-IT helpline number. It would be extraordinary if calls did not increase sharply. Conflating a spike in helpline volume with a spike in gambling disorder is a category error.
The same problem afflicts a widely cited study published in JAMA Internal Medicine last year, claiming a 23% cumulative increase in internet searches for gambling addiction help since 2018. The National Council on Problem Gambling, the country’s leading organization on this issue, explicitly warns that its own helpline traffic “should not be used as a proxy to estimate problem gambling prevalence.” Searches tick up after legalization for the same reason calls do, in that there is more advertising and more public awareness of both betting and the services that help people with it. People who were already struggling are now more likely to know where to turn.
What does the data on problem gambling actually show? According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, the national rate of severe problem gambling among adults has held steady at around 1%, with another 2% to 3% experiencing mild to moderate problems— consistent with the historical average. Even the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling cites a 2011 study showing that just 1.2% of Florida’s population was engaged in problem and pathological gambling.
Panicked stories about gambling often ignore boring statistical truths over pragmatic figures. Those large percentage increases become much less concerning when you factor in the small baseline number of people affected. Florida has roughly 23 million residents. Before sports-betting launched, an estimated 588 people a year were calling the helpline about online gambling.
After legalization, that figure rose to around 1,400. That means the share of Floridians contacting the helpline about online gambling went from around 0.003% to roughly 0.006%.
A shift from three people in every hundred thousand to six is rather
hard to characterize as an epidemic.
The empirical research tends to suggest that the legal status of gambling is not the key driver of problem gambling.
A 2025 longitudinal study tracking American sports bettors across states that legalized during the study period versus those that kept prohibitions found no significant difference in problem gambling severity between the two groups — though the authors acknowledge the study was powered to detect only large increases, leaving open the possibility of more modest effects.
After many states legalized lotteries and casinos in the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a short-lived uptick in related bankruptcies. But that effect had largely disappeared by the mid-1990s. When online poker exploded in the 2000s, the same warnings were sounded. Howard Shaffer, one of the world’s foremost experts on gambling addiction, concluded in 2011 that problem gambling rates had remained relatively stable across 35 years of dramatically expanding gambling access.
None of this is to say that sports betting cannot harm individuals. Some people, particularly young men, who are disproportionately represented among heavy bettors, can wind up in severe financial difficulty. But it should be noted that today’s typical sports-bettor is disproportionately college-educated and earns above the median income. This does not match the portrait of a young or poorer population being freshly victimized.
Before legalization, an estimated one third of Americans were already betting on sports, channeling roughly $150 billion annually to offshore books with no age verification and deep ties to organized crime.
Legislators concerned about rising helpline numbers should be aware that regulatory overreaction is unlikely to reduce the number of problem gamblers and will almost certainly drive more bettors to platforms with no consumer protections whatsoever.
Guy Bentley is Director of Consumer Freedom and Adrian Moore is vice president at the Reason Foundation.
“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944
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ADRIAN MOORE AND GUY BENTLEY
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Sports betting online became legal in Florida via Hard Rock Bet in 2023.
By the water, in the water, on the water. Whenever you wish. Wherever you want. All this, steps to the city, yet tucked privately away on Golden Gate Point. In Sarasota, only Amara offers unobstructed city and bay views from every residence, along with the luxury of a private marina.
6:36 p.m., 380 Gulf of Mexico
Family disturbance: A distraught man on the verge of calling off his engagement phoned police instead on a recent Friday evening. When police arrived, the officer was flagged down by a woman who walked the officer to an apartment unit to speak with her fiance who made the call. The man proceeded to tell the officer the root of the issue, sharing that he had moved down from South Carolina in December to be with his significant other. Since that time, he had been applying to jobs to no avail. The resulting financial stress of the situation had made tensions high in the relationship. On Friday, March 27, the two decided to go for a walk on the beach, but the woman backed out of the romantic stroll on the Gulf shore. When he returned, he told his fiance he wanted to end the relationship and move out. As is common with breakups, an argument ensued and the woman said she did not want him to leave. The man called the police because she was “verbally not letting him leave,” the police report describes. The officer-turned-therapist convinced the two that they needed to speak together about their relationship and mediated the conversation between the two “about making (a)mends” and “having those hard conversations.” The two agreed to talk civilly about the issues in their relationship, and the officer closed the case.
SATURDAY, MARCH 28
GOLFER NEEDS A LESSON, CAR NEEDS BODYWORK
10:38 a.m., 2100 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Property damage: A driver passing a golf course on Gulf of Mexico Drive found herself in the path of a miss hit golf ball, prompting a call to police due to the damage her vehicle’s hood sustained. Police arrived at the woman’s home and typed up a report to document a small dent on the hood of her Cadillac, and closed the case.
NOT ACCEPTING VISITS FROM FAMILY
9:03 p.m., Chatham Drive
Suspicious person: Police responded to a condo complex on a suspicious-person call after a woman heard people talking outside of her unit. The caller said she was worried that a family member who should not be there was present. When police arrived, the officer observed a group of people at the gate discussing a malfunctioning callbox. He approached the unit and spoke with the complainant, who said she thought those struggling with the gate were her family from New York visiting unexpectedly. The officer then
MONDAY, MARCH 30
BAT-BRANDISHING ROAD RAGER
11:24 a.m., 6200
Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious incident: Police were called by a bystander to a worrying road rage incident involving a water truck, a baseball bat and a passenger who did not want to be there.
According to a caller, a construction crew had stopped traffic while a water truck backed into Gulf of Mexico Drive, peeving the driver who wanted to be on his way. After the call came in, an officer pulled over a vehicle matching the description and the caller pulled up confirming the identity. The bystander recalled the incident, sharing with the officer that after words were exchanged between the construction crew and the driver, the driver got out of the vehicle brandishing a baseball bat but did not swing it. The driver of the vehicle told police that construction workers banged on the hood of the vehicle. The passenger did not want to be identified and waited for the incident to resolve itself. After interviewing the caller and the driver, the officer determined that since no victims had reported the incident, a crime could not be determined, and police closed the case.
performed a courtesy check of the caller’s condo unit, found nothing of suspicion and closed the case.
SUNDAY, MARCH 29
FLAILING INTO SPD
JURISDICTION
4:47 p.m., 501 Channel Lane
Suspicious person: A police officer on patrol approached a man who was acting suspiciously. The man, described in the report as unkempt and about 40 years old, was talking to himself and flailing his arms around. Police approached the man who refused to identify himself and was uncooperative. The officer determined he did not meet the grounds for a Baker Act commitment and monitored the situation as the man turned around, walked south and into Sarasota city limits and out of Longboat police jurisdiction.
Once again, what’s the best bridge?
Discussions about a new Longboat Pass bridge conjure up memories of the contentious debates over what is now the iconic fixed-span Ringling Bridge.
History is interesting ... and sometimes inconvenient. For people who don’t remember this historical debate, it seems worth sharing with the current and ongoing conversations over the planning and replacement of the Longboat Pass Bridge.
When the John Ringling Causeway bascule bridge broke down 11 times between January and June in 1990, the Florida Department of Transportation began plans to replace the four-lane, double-leaf drawbridge. Even then, on normal days during afternoon peak season traffic, eastbound traffic was bumper to bumper and stalled in tie-ups beyond St. Armands Circle. Sound familiar?
The bridge design favored by the state and many residents was a 65-foot fixed span. It would be less expensive to build and less costly to maintain and operate than another drawbridge.
The city of Sarasota and the Bridge Too High Committee sued FDOT because they favored simply replacing the 21-foot high bascule bridge. They also stated the high bridge would be disproportionately sized for Sarasota.
At that time, Longboaters were adamant that a fixed span was necessary for evacuation routes, emergency responders, medical emergencies and uninterrupted traffic flow. They also felt the convenience and ability to travel unimpeded without bridge openings would certainly help the seasonal traffic tie-ups.
Longboat Key’s mayor at the time stated, “A drawbridge doesn’t make good sense from the standpoint of health, traffic, safety, air pollution, you name it.”
Constituents crowded public hearings on the issue, testifying that the drawbridge delayed emergency trips, backed up traffic and generally wasted their precious time. The town of Longboat Key petitioned to intervene on behalf of the state to support its position and oppose the city of Sarasota and the Bridge Too High Committee.
When the new fixed-span Ringling Bridge opened in August 2003, the bridge became the widest precast segmental bridge in Florida. The top deck spread consisted of four traffic lanes, emergency lanes, bicycle lanes and pedestrian sidewalks. The bridge the city of Sarasota sued to prevent being constructed is now its most iconic and beloved site. It is a magnet for cyclists, runners, walking and sightseeing at dawn or sunset. The views are undeniably stunning from any vantage point.
There’s an interesting debate now going on regarding FDOT’s proposed high fixed-span bridge
at Longboat Pass. That proposed bridge would sport a shallower slope than the Ringling Bridge; be the lowest price of all options; and essentially occupy the same footprint, landing on Longboat’s north end as the lowest proposed bascule bridge.
The Longboat Key Town Commission, meanwhile, is taking a position to replace the bridge with a low, bascule bridge.
We should take a step back and consider whether that is the best option for our future needs. The town’s position should reflect the opinions and wishes of the entire island.
My impetus to write is not to suggest what to think, simply to provoke thinking.
Susan M. Phillips retired in 2025 as long-time executive assistant to the Longboat Key town manager. She was named March 3 as chairman of the Longboat Key Foundation Board of Directors.
SUSAN PHILLIPS
S.T. Cardinal
The Longboat Pass drawbridge opens anywhere from 100 to 300 times per month, according to an FDOT engineering study.
George Washington Rauch IV, known to everyone as Geordie, passed away unexpectedly on March 4, 2026, in Sarasota, Florida, after suffering a sudden cardiac event. He was 45 years old.
Geordie was born on May 22, 1980 in Sarasota and raised on Longboat Key, the beloved son of George W. Rauch III and Sally Rauch of Longboat Key, Florida. He grew up surrounded by the waters and natural beauty of the place he would always
Family was at the heart of Geordie’s life, and he loved them fiercely. He is survived by his loving wife, Katie, who has been by his side since before he left for Naval boot camp 22 years ago. They were married on April 21, 2007, and together built a beautiful life centered around their three children: George, Molly, and Patrick, who were the absolute pride and joy of his life.
He is also survived by his parents, George W. Rauch III and Sally Rauch; his sister, Ellie Falck, and her husband Vic Falck, along with their sons Hayne and Drew; and his brother, Andy Rauch, and his wife Stacy, along with their sons Logan and Luke.
Geordie graduated from Bradenton Christian School before earning his bachelor’s
ocean and spent as much time as possible surfing the California coast.
In 2005, following his calling to serve his country in the years after September 11, Geordie joined the United States Navy. True to his nature, he did nothing in moderation. Determined to challenge himself at the highest level, he pursued the grueling path of becoming a Navy SEAL. After completing Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, he graduated from BUD/S on October 9, 2009—one of the proudest and happiest days of his life.
Geordie loved being a SEAL. He took deep pride in being part of a team, in the discipline and challenge of training, and in serving alongside the men who became his brothers. During his service he deployed to Iraq, where he was awarded the Naval Combat Action
Ribbon in recognition of his service.
After leaving the military in 2014, Geordie returned home to Sarasota and founded Calusa Brewing with his lifelong best friend and brother-in-law, Vic Falck. What began as a passion project grew into something much more—a place where community gathers, friendships form, and countless memories are made. Together they built a brand to be deeply proud of. Calusa Brewing will celebrate its 10th anniversary this April, a milestone that stands as a testament to their vision, hard work, and love for bringing people together.
Geordie felt closest to God in nature. Whether hiking the Tetons with his family or boating and fishing the waters near his home, those were the places where he felt most at peace and most himself. He had a gift
for finding joy in the little things—especially a funny video or story—and loved sharing those moments of laughter with others.
Those who knew Geordie will remember his strength, humility, and deep loyalty. He loved quietly and fiercely, and he lived with a spirit of gratitude and grace.
One of Geordie’s tattoos was the third verse of the hymn Amazing Grace:
“Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ’Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far, and Grace will lead me home.”
Those words now feel especially true.
Support your
passion project
Local organizations are preparing for the Giving Challenge, presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Through an online, 24-houronly event, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County is hoping to facilitate a major boost to area organizations. Local groups, including the Longboat Key Garden Club and others, are preparing for the 2026 Giving Challenge. It all begins at noon on April 15.
This will be the 10th year the Community Foundation has organized the biennial event. In 2024, the challenge raised $17.2 million to benefit 724 nonprofit organizations, according to a foundation press release.
The garden club is participating in the challenge for the first time this year.
Club members recently toured the classroom-run gardens at Southside Elementary School and others to gain a better understanding of how the money they help raise will be put to use.
Tour members got to see one second grade class, led by teacher Kristen Hazelton, release 300 ladybugs into the gardens on that sunny afternoon. The little scarlet beetles are well-known garden-boosting bugs that can help control outbreaks of harmful pests such as aphids.
The little critters also gave the elementary schoolers an exciting, interactive glimpse into the natural world of agriculture.
The garden club helps support vegetable gardens in four Sarasota elementary schools. Teachers use the gardens to teach their students about science and nutrition.
Hazelton listed numerous benefits of the hands-on learning for her
WORSHIP directory
pupils. They get to track the plants’ growth, gaining a strong understanding of concepts like photosynthesis, and they venture outside their culinary comfort zones to try new vegetables they grew themselves.
“Your grant gave the opportunity to build this,” tour guide Lindsey Conrad told garden club members Diane Blake and Debbie Wilson as they walked among the garden beds.
The students also learn about native Floridian flowers via the butterfly garden.
About 80 parent volunteers help make the garden projects possible, Conrad said. However, there are still costs associated with installing the plant beds, filling them with nutrient-rich soil, getting seeds and seedlings and other maintenance throughout the growing season.
“With the garden club’s support, we’ve been able to get high-quality soil, and it has made an absolute world of difference in terms of what we get,” Conrad said. “We used to throw more fertilizer in and irrigate as much as possible, but you can only revamp the soil through so many grow seasons. That grant has allowed us, every year, to take off the top half of soil, which we now add to our butterfly garden.”
The Longboat Key Garden Club’s fundraising efforts will go even further this year with backing from the Patterson Foundation, which has pledged to 100% match of all donations between $25 and $100 per donor per organization.
There are about 750 nonprofits participating this year. Those with Longboat Key ties include the National League of American Pen Women — Sarasota Branch, which is
Students in Kirsten Hazelton’s second grade class at Southside Elementary School used their magnifying glasses to watch their freshly released ladybugs get to work patrolling their vegetable garden at the school.
WHAT CAN YOUR DOLLARS DO?
To offer context for how each donation benefits Sarasota elementary schools, the Longboat Key Garden Club offered some figures for how Giving Challenge contributions benefit them.
$25 provides six four-pack starter plants of super sweet tomatoes
$50 provides a bag of potting soil and four fourpack starter vegetable plants
$75 provides an Earthbox and staking system
$100 provides two bags of potting soil and eight four-pack starter vegetable plants
fundraising for its annual Launching Leaders in the Arts program to support college-bound high school seniors in Manatee and Sarasota County public schools.
Also getting involved this year is the Rotary LBK Charitable Fund Inc, the 501(c)(3) arm of the Rotary Club of Longboat Key that supports community service projects.
Three of their main focuses for the drive are veteran services, environmental stewardship and youth engagement.
The club highlighted its close ties with the town, Ringling College of Art and Design, Longboat Key Turtle Watch, Save Our Seabirds, Mote Marine Laboratories and other partners “to develop an environmental stewardship and educational program with a focus on the coastal ecology sustainability challenges faced by Florida’s Suncoast region.”
Contributions to the nonprofits are 100% tax deductible.
LEARN MORE
To learn more about what organizations are participating and how to get involved, visit GivingChallenge.org.
“Your grant gave the opportunity to build this,” tour guide Lindsey Conrad told garden club members Diane Blake and Debbie Wilson as they walked among the garden beds.
Teacher Kirsten Hazelton said her second graders at Southside Elementary love seeing vegetables such as cherry tomatoes grow in their patch of the school garden.
Photos by Dana Kampa
YOUR NEIGHBORS
Eggscellent
After a COVID-19 hiatus, St. Armands church brings back its Easter egg hunt.
St. Armands
Key Lutheran Church Minister of Music
Michael Bodnyk, one of the coordinators of the return of the church’s Easter egg
RETURN
Hoppin’ holiday fun on St. Armands Circle went on a hiatus along with many other social activities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even after restrictions were relaxed, organizations across the barrier island communities had to turn their attention to rebuilding from 2024’s hurricanes. St. Armands Key Lutheran Church is one of the places that was hit hardest by the storms.
Now, for the first time since the early 2020s, the church was able to bring back its community Easter egg hunt, and the April 4 event was met with enthusiasm.
Families wound their way through the footpaths of the Meditation Garden, where volunteers had hidden more than 2,000 Easter eggs.
Maggie Dougherty, SAKLC church office administrator and one of the main coordinators of the Easter activities this year, said congregation members managed to stuff the eggs in less than an hour, fueled by their eagerness to see the return of this event.
Seekers who successfully found the golden eggs went home with chocolate bunnies and picture
In addition to the main egg hunt, visitors got to partake in holiday crafts, such making colorful crowns, and also met the Easter
The Rev. Kenneth Blyth commended Dougherty and her family members, Minister of Music
Michael Bodnyk and all the fellow SAKLC members for their work to bring the event back this year.
“It’s one of the many things that stopped for COVID and never really started again,” he said, adding that it sometimes takes a few
coordinators going above and beyond to make these events happen for the wider community to enjoy.
Families, including the Skibickis, said they were delighted to see the Easter activities return and that they planned to make it an
annual tradition. That’s exactly the feedback Dougherty had hoped to hear. Even though the last Easter egg hunt happened well before she joined the church on St. Armands, she knew it was worth bringing back.
Now, she said she hopes it can be a tradition locals and their visiting family members look forward to every year.
— DANA KAMPA
The Kober family — including Akriti, Mia, Bobby, Karen, Andy and Tricia — arrives early at the St. Armands Key Lutheran Church Easter festivities on April 4. Mia was a fan of the pastel balloons decorating the grounds.
Haruki Warriner, who was visiting Joan Nelson and other family for Easter, finds one of the golden eggs at the St. Armands Key Lutheran Church Easter egg hunt.
Emi Frydman checks out the basket of Easter eggs her family members found at the April 4 egg hunt at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church.
Joe and Sam Deheer
Photos by Dana Kampa Leo, 2, and Blair, 3, Sobotka color in their Easter-themed paper crowns at the craft table before joining the newly returned St. Armands Key Lutheran Church Easter egg hunt on April 4.
Two-year-old Davis Moore happily adds an Easter egg to his lion Easter basket.
Precision pysanky
Artist celebrates Ukrainian tradition through egg decoration.
ACTION THROUGH ART
Artist Roksolana Tymiak-Lonchyna shared her appreciation for an exhibit by Sofika Zielyk at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York. After the war in Ukraine, she plans to facilitate planting the eggs in the soil of cities throughout the country. To learn more about the art installation, visit Pysanka.UkrainianInstitute.org.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Many families have memories of dyeing Easter eggs for the holidays. In some cultures, that tradition spans many generations and still holds a special place in the hearts of the artists keeping it alive.
Part-time Longboat Key resident Roksolana Tymiak-Lonchyna is one such crafter, and she recently shared her expertise in pysanky at an interactive workshop.
Her family is from Ukraine, and she said sharing this art form with others is one way she stays connected with her background and supports survivors of the ongoing war in the country.
She led the workshop on March 31 at Driftwood Beach Home & Garden.
Shop owner Heather Rippy has been a strong supporter of Tymiak-Lonchyna’s craft since she started sharing it with community members.
“We started doing this four years ago, when the war started,” she said. “Heather was kind enough to open her shop for me to share this. One year, we did it at her home. People were so nice and sincere about it, and seemed to have a good time.”
As the artist explained, pysanky pieces aren’t typically meant to be sold. The intricately designed eggs, per Ukrainian folklore, help reinforce the chains holding back monsters of yore. The designs often carry specific meanings, with wheat symbolizing
prosperity and flowers signifying new growth. Artists often gift them to others to share the goodwill.
The shop offers the pysanky to anyone who makes a minimum $75 donation to Revived Soldiers Ukraine. The Orlando-based organization provides aid to survivors of the war in Ukraine, with a focus on helping wounded soldiers get medical care. Last year, Tymiak-Lonchyna helped raise $11,000 to support survivors needing prosthetics and other care.
“There are many organizations throughout the United States that do wonderful work,” she said of those providing aid to Ukraine. “Revived Soldiers Ukraine is an example of how one person can start something.”
Sometimes, she would be up working until 2 or 3 a.m. to keep up with demand for the eggs. While it is work, she said the process of creating the designs in the evenings is also therapeutic.
Tymiak-Lonchyna, whose family moved to Longboat part time about 30 years ago, said she is glad to find a way to support survivors through her craft.
“It is wonderful to see the community support because the point was to get the word out among Americans,” she said.
The afternoon of the workshop, a dozen participants learned the steps of sketching out a design with a pencil directly onto the eggshell, melting beeswax in a kistky tool over the flame from a candle and meticulously tracing their design.
Each layer of wax preserves the color underneath. The crafter dips the egg in the lightest color of dye
they plan to use, typically yellow or orange. Then, they add more lines of wax and layers of dye until finishing the design, unveiled by melting off the wax.
One of the tricky parts of the art form is that there is no undo button. Any imperfections in the wax application show up in the final design.
The participants, most attempting pysanky art for the first or second time, alternated between smiles and self-deprecating jokes. Wax drips flew, fingers were dyed and only one egg made an ill-fated fall to the floor. However, this learning curve is part of what makes the craft so addictive, Tymiak-Lonchyna said.
She said it has been difficult watching each year pass since 2022 without a resolution to the war.
However, using her skills to educate others and support survivors has helped, she said.
“My husband and I are still very active in humanitarian works,” she said. “We travel a lot and still have a place in Ukraine. We go back and support our friends and other people there. It’s really important to us.”
Through her work, she has had the opportunity to meet surviving soldiers who suffered injuries and imprisonment.
What struck her most was how many of them remained committed to their fight.
“We heard their stories, and those stories are heartwrenching,” she said.
She encourages anyone interested in pysanky to learn about the lore behind it an its artistic possibilities.
To learn more about Tymiak-Lonchyna’s art, including her photography, visit RoksolanaTL.com.
Come
Pysanky artist Roksolana Tymiak-Lonchyna helps Bliss Rippy with dyeing her egg at the March 31 workshop at Driftwood Beach Home & Garden.
Photos by Dana Kampa
Roksolana Tymiak-Lonchyna shows how the smallest kistky can add intricate detail to the pysanky patterns.
Lynda Pfeiffer lays out her first lines of beeswax for her pysanky design at a workshop on traditional Ukrainian egg dyeing.
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sk almost any family at Sand Cay Condominiums Beach Resort visiting for Easter weekend, and they’ll tell you the egg hunt is a can’t-miss tradition.
On April 3, children of all ages turned their eagle eyes to the grounds of the resort, scanning the lawn and shrubs for the scattered rainbow of eggs totaling 1,200.
Sand Cay has hosted an Easter egg hunt and an afternoon of fun for the past decade. General Manager Lyn Sorensen has coordinated the tradition for years, and she recently tapped Heather Diggins to take over leadership of it.
Families enjoyed the egg hunt, after which youngsters got to pick out Easter baskets — with the golden egg finders earning first pick — before heading out to play on inflatable water slides and have lunch by the beach.
Diggins and Sorensen said their biggest event of the year always takes plenty of work to pull together. But that effort is always worth it when they see the delight on the children’s faces, especially from the families that look forward to it every year.
“Monday or Tuesday next week, we’ll already start planning for next year,” Sorensen said.
— DANA KAMPA
Smith and Elliott Nurenberg pick out the Easter baskets they
Photos by Dana Kampa
King Kelly, Leah SelphKelly and Eric and Laura Shine spend time at the April 3 egg hunt at Sand Cay Condominiums Beach Resort.
Katie, Emma and Maddie Smith, along with Maeve and Cecilia McAuliff, join the Easter Bunny and coordinator Heather Diggins.
Enforcement through education
Police chief speaks about collaboration and digital safety with Kiwanians.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Longboat Key Police Chief Russ Mager officially started his term last August, and since then, he has made it his mission to connect with residents through homeowner and condo groups, religious organizations, public events and more.
Most recently, he spoke with members of the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key on April 2, sharing the story of how his career led him to the island after leading the Delray Beach Police Department for several years. He also touched on what his initial half year of serving the community has taught him so far.
Education and collaboration lie at the heart of successful community policing, Mager explained.
sion-making for when a warning is sufficient for issues such as expired auto tags.
As season begins to wind down, Mager said the department will focus on more educational outreach opportunities.
Reflecting on his first months on Longboat Key, he said, “Everyone here is super nice. My biggest issue here is that I’m arguing not to cross the street when the person in the car is telling me to cross, not even in the crosswalk. It really is a pleasure to be here.”
BREAKFAST BREAKDOWN
“My philosophy here is just to keep everybody safe,” he said of the visible police presence on the island. He said positive community engagement is especially important for issues such as digital security. When it comes to online scams, Mager said time is of the essence. A victim may hesitate to report a crime after feeling embarrassed for falling for a ruse, and the chief acknowledged that it can be difficult to feel vulnerable in the aftermath. However, the sooner someone reports the crime, the better chance law enforcement has of finding a better outcome.
He said the department has informational presentations prepared to offer groups like home associations, and he encouraged community leaders to reach out.
Mager said he has found education to be an important component of policing. Rather than mandating ticket quotas for his officers, he said he believes in supporting their deci-
Michael Garey, Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key past president and Lazy Lobster owner, offered a breakdown of the club’s fundraising efforts through its popular pancake breakfast. The March 28 event benefited the local Sarasota-Manatee chapter of Family Promise. With the 50/50 raffle proceeds, the event was about on par with last year’s breakfast. The total gross was $5,787.95, and after offsetting the food, beverage, labor and printing costs, the club is making a $3,544.30 donation.
Dana Kampa Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key President Danielle Gladding welcomes guest speaker Longboat Police Chief Russ Mager to update members about his approach to leadership since he assumed the role last summer at the April 2 meeting.
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Meet Greet Eat Meet Greet Eat Meet Greet Eat
YOUR CALENDAR
THURSDAY, APRIL 9
SPRING TRUNK SALE
9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 9-11 at J.
McLaughlin, 515 Bay Isles Parkway. Shop at the spring clothing sale and support the Longboat Key Garden Club’s mission.
FRIDAY, APRIL 10
ORCHESTRA PERFORMS AT SAKLC
7 p.m. at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, 40 N. Adams Drive. The Sarasota Bay Chamber Orchestra is closing out the season with a program with the masters of classical music, including Handel, Haydn, Bach and Mozart. Featuring chamber performers, trumpet soloist Ricky Chinchilla and conductor Glen Olsen. Tickets are $30 at the door or on EventBrite.com. Reception with refreshments to follow.
SATURDAY, APRIL 11
ZUMBA WITH YAËL
9:30-10:30 a.m. at St. Armands Circle Park, 1 St. Armands Circle. Bring your water and get ready to have fun at this free class with licensed Zumba instructor Yaël Campbell. Visit StArmandsCircleAssoc.com.
RUN FOR THE TURTLES
8 a.m. at Siesta Key Beach, 948 Beach Road. Support Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium’s turtle research and educational outreach at this annual fundraiser run. The event features a 1-mile fun run or walk, a 5K run and a virtual race. Visit Mote.org.
ARTISTS IN THE GARDEN
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 11 and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 12 at Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. See the works of 11 professional artists while walking through the chapel gardens. Live music, beverages and food trucks available. Entry is free. Visit LongboatKey.org.
MONDAY, APRIL 13
HOPE SEEDS
1-3:15 p.m. at Christ Church of Longboat Key, 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Join volunteers in Fellowship Hall to help pack seed packs for families in need worldwide. Call 941-735-9454.
BEST BET
THURSDAY, APRIL 16
COMEDY NIGHT
4:30 p.m. at the Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road. Laugh along with comedians Cliff Hornsby, Al Earnest and Greg Schwartz at this event, part of Arts in April. Social hour with music and food trucks begins at 4:30 p.m., and the show starts at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 a person at LBKGardenClub.org/Events.
TUESDAY, APRIL 14
MEET, GREET, EAT
4-6 p.m. at The Resort at Longboat Key Club Harbourside Ballroom, 3000 Harbourside Drive. The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce is bringing together community members to connect with businesses for this 20th annual social. Featuring light bites, live entertainment, prize drawings and a cash bar. Regular entry tickets are sold out. Visit LongboatKeyChamber.com for details.
REGISTER FOR WILDLIFE TALK
6:30-8 p.m. at Windward Bay Clubhouse, 4888 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Sign up early for this nature talk led by Save Our Seabirds Executive Director Brian Walton and Mote Marine experts. Learn the latest on the conservation of seabirds, turtles and local marine life. Register online at LBKGardenClub.org/Events.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15
TURTLE SEASON WORKSHOP
10 a.m. at city of Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive. Learn all about the upcoming sea turtle nesting season. Open to residents, businesses and visitors. See LBKTurtleWatch.com for more about how to prepare.
THURSDAY, APRIL 16
TIMELESS TRIVIA
2-3 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Join the folks from Florida Studio Theatre for this free afternoon of brainiac fun. Call 941-383-6493 or visit TheParadiseCenter.org.
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Banking on the power of books
Longboat boosts new childhood literacy organization at J. McLaughlin Sip and Shop.
DANA KAMPA
STAFF WRITER
Having books readily available for reading at home is one of the most effective approaches to improving reading skills for youngsters, according to the founding team at Bernie’s Book Bank. With that in mind, local leaders are working to get more books into the hands of students throughout the community.
Longboat’s J. McLaughlin boutique spotlighted the newest branch of the childhood literacy organization at a recent Sip and Shop event.
A portion of sales from the March 28 booster goes toward supporting the group’s mission. But the event also served to raise awareness of the organization, which opened a Sarasota branch this past year.
Brian Floriani founded Bernie’s Book Bank in 2009. Three years into operating, team members reached the milestone of distributing 1 million books to children.
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Bernie’s Book Bank, started in 2009, has branches in the Chicagoland and Greater Milwaukee areas, and the nonprofit is launching its newest one in the Florida Suncoast area. The organization works to give high-quality books to children to promote reading skills. Supporters can offer financial help, volunteer by helping with book distribution, host book drives or donate gently used books. To learn about its mission and ways to support it, visit BerniesBookBank.org.
That momentum has continued. In 2015, the team opened a distribution facility in the Chicago area, and in 2024, it expanded to Milwaukee, reaching 60 new schools. Through those arms, Bernie’s Book Bank has delivered more than 30 million books.
Now, the newest step is expanding to the Florida Suncoast. Amy Bott, executive director of the new branch and the representative who spoke with Longboaters at the boutique event, said exciting new things are on the horizon.
“We are almost done distributing four new, high-quality books to every kindergartner and first grader at a Title 1 school in Sarasota and Manatee counties this school year,” she said. “Next year, I’m excited
Amy Bott, executive director of the Florida Suncoast branch of Bernie’s Book Bank, connects with J. McLaughlin Manager Melanie Dale at the boutique’s recent Sip and Shop event supporting the nonprofit.
because we’ll be expanding all the way to fifth grade.”
The book bank expanded to Sarasota in 2025, and the team is in the midst of establishing a local collection and distribution facility this summer, she said.
Bott said this outreach is essential, especially considering data on reading levels.
Average reading scores measured in The Nation’s Report Card went down by two points among fourth and eighth graders between 2022 and 2024.
With the launch of the Florida arm, the organization aims to reach 300,000 children.
Bott, a former high school sci -
Bernie’s Book Bank recently expanded to serve students at schools in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Team members distributed bags of books to nearly 5,000 children this school year, and they hope to expand to offer books to all local students at levels pre-K through fifth grade.
ence teacher, said the organization wanted to start a branch here to reach more students nationwide.
“While I wasn’t at elementary schools teaching reading or English, I did see the correlation with 15- and 16-year-olds who were struggling to read and struggled in my class,” she said.
She said it was difficult to see teenagers going to school every day while believing they couldn’t be successful there.
“The students who didn’t struggle to read saw a world of possibilities there for them,” she said. “That’s
what we’re trying to increase here, with early intervention.”
Bernie’s Book Bank’s philosophy isn’t just about giving students the physical reading resources. By giving youngsters books to call their own, they hope to also inspire passion for reading, helping students see reading as a fun and valuable pastime, not solely a task to be checked off.
Through its local partnerships with Children First and Big Brothers Big Sisters, the book bank looks forward to spreading plenty of “book joy,” Bott said.
First Physicians Group is delighted to announce the addition of Neurosurgery and Spine Specialists to our award-winning healthcare system.
As part of this exciting transition, they will now operate under the name First Physicians Group Neurosurgery and Spine Specialists.
With over 30 years of expertise in neurological surgery for the brain, spine, peripheral nerves and surrounding structures, Neurosurgery and Spine Specialists has delivered exceptional care for patients with cerebrovascular diseases, brain conditions and tumors, hydrocephalus, spine conditions, peripheral nerve conditions, Parkinson’s disease, and intractable epilepsy.
As part of First Physicians Group the dedicated professionals of Neurosurgery and Spine Specialists including Drs. Robert Knego, Peter Mayer, Kenneth Vives, Ryan Glasser, and Andrew Fine, will continue providing the same services and level of care that patients have come to expect and rely on, but now with the backing of the entire Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and
Dana Kampa
Courtesy image
Islands West condominium tops week’s sales at $2.1 million
ADAM
HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Amy Goldman, of New York City, sold her Unit 12-F condominium at 2525 Gulf of Mexico Drive to The Real Estate Parking Co. for $2.1 million. Built in 1972, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,651 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.1 million in 2007.
THE
Kirk and Joann Gibson sold their Unit 4-D condominium at 1701 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Ronald Edmonds and Lilia Sofia Edmonds, of Longboat Key, for $1.3 million. Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,551 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.14 million in 2022.
KEY TOWERS SOUTH
Mitchell Wayne Mealy and DeAnn Elizabeth Mealy, trustees, of Jefferson City, Missouri, sold the Unit 9-C condominium at 1750 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Christopher Keenan and Stephanie Keenan, trustees, of Vicksburg, Michigan, for $1,275,000. Built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,364 square feet of living area. It sold for $395,000 in 2011.
ST. ARMANDS TOWERS
Richard and Margaret Maier, trustees, of Medford, New Jersey, sold the Unit 82 condominium at 101 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Laura Orkin Wolkoff and Daniel Wolkoff, trustees, of Lyndhrst, Ohio, for $1.1 million. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,275 square feet of living area. It sold for $510,000 in 2014.
THE PLAYERS CLUB III
Anthony James Saggese Jr., of New Canaan, Connecticut, sold the Unit 404 condominium at 1445 Gulf
of Mexico Drive to Robert Francis Braceland and Jeanine Fiedler, of Westfield, Massachusetts, for $1,062,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,679 square feet of living area. It sold for $619,000 in 2009.
HARBOUR OAKS Ryan Monson, of Sarasota, sold the home at 2323 Harbour Oaks Drive to SMLLBK LLC for $950,000. Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,395 square feet of living area. It sold for $960,000 in 2024.
LONGBOAT TERRACE
Rene Vandendooren, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 211 condominium at 5393 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Michael Pierce, of Lexington, Kentucky, for $850,000. Built in 1979, it has two bedrooms, two baths and
TOP BUILDING PERMITS
1,300 square feet of living area. It sold for $540,000 in 2014.
ST. ARMANDS TOWERS SOUTH
James and Carole Weyant sold the Unit 54 condominium at 101 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Dennis Lee Matthies and Judith Keen Matthies, trustees, of Sarasota, for $735,000. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,275 square feet of living area. It sold for $610,000 in 2019.
RES. REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS MARCH 23-27
WINDWARD BAY
Jerrold Marks and Joan Marks, trustee, of New Buffalo, New York, sold the Unit 202 condominium at 4500 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Robert Perello and Maripaz Gonzalez, of New York City, for $650,000. Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,312 square feet of living area. It sold for $770,000 in 2023.
GRAND BAY
Steven Peters, of Charlottesville, Virginia, sold the Unit 612 condominium at 3070 Grand Bay Blvd. to Mark and Victoria Dechant, of Leesburg, for $630,000. Built in 1995, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,276 square feet of living area. It sold for $815,000 in 2022.
LONGBOAT ARMS
Longboat Arms 208C LLC sold the Unit 208-C condominium at 3320 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Matthew and Marian Doherty, of Longboat Key, for $590,000. Built in 1971, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,154 square feet of living area. It sold for $490,000 in 2023.
SPANISH MAIN YACHT CLUB
Kevin Baker, of Concord, North Carolina, sold the Unit 99 condominium at 730 Spanish Drive S. to Mark and Judy Kuhn, of Peoria, Illinois, for $337,500. Built in 1969, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,255 square feet of living area. It sold for $275,000 in 2020.
Virtually Rendered
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
FORECAST
APRIL 11
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TIDES
past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another. “HOVPNZV MNCCOVCKTV, QNZ’II TKGKL XVSLV, FZV CNLK OCANLVSTVIQ, HOVPNZV MNTXOXVKTMQ, QNZ’II TKGKL WOTOXP.” EKTBKI HSXPOTUVNT
