Longboat Observer 5.13.21

LONGBOAT

A family tale.

Observer Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978

PAGE 1B

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

VOLUME 43, NO. 40

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YOUR TOWN

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

Density propensity Three developers seek ballot questions on land use. PAGE 2A

NAVIGATING NOISE Courtesy photo

Ruffled feathers

As boaters return to the north end, so do complaints about pumped-up volume.

PAGE 3A

Peacocks are meticulous birds — they show attention to detail. And sometimes humans get to pay attention to de tails, too. Wendy Wyman caught sight of one of the male peacocks in Longbeach Village with its tail feathers unfurled to their full regal potential.

The males fan out their feathers as part of a mating ritual, but there are no female peahen in the Village.

They might also do it when startled or threatened, and Wyman said this peacock had gotten its feathers ruffled by a squirrel nearby.

Nat Kaemmerer

Say aloe to my little friend Ruthellen Rubin has had an aloe plant in her yard for 15 years — or so she thought.

Recently, the plant sprouted an asparagus-like growth from the middle, about 8 feet tall — so eyecatching that people stop to snap a photo of it. Rubin was baffled to the point of calling Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and learned It’s actually an agave.

“It shoots up this spear, and flowers grow off it, and then the whole thing drops dead,” she said.

So Rubin will have a pretty flower on her agave plant, but then the whole thing will die. Luckily, plant babies will be left behind, so the cycle continues.

Mark Bergin

The return of boaters to Greer Island and adjacent waters has prompted a new call for ways for the town to regulate loud music.

A+E

Photo stories.

PAGE 19A

Signs of the times Clam bake draws happy faces with plans for a more social summer.

SEE PAGE 14A

Nat Kaemmerer

Deirdre Schueppert, Beth Waldman and Theresa DiStefano gather during St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church’s clam bake.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

Officials to hear three density requests If approved, voters could decide on trio of development proposals as early as November.

BUCCANEER HEARING ON MAY 21

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

L

ongboat Key voters might get the chance to vote on a trio of residential density issues as soon as November if three commercial property owners get their way.

The Town Commission is set to hear about three requests for referendums next week: ■ Ryan Snyder submitted a letter to Mayor Ken Schneier in April about the possibility of adding a maximum of 10 residential units at Whitney Beach Plaza.

■ Brista Homes President Mark Ursini is hoping to convert 597 Buttonwood Drive from a commercial-use property to residential use for two homes that would face Buttonwood Drive.

■ Joel Freedman with Shumaker Advisors wrote a letter on behalf of Anthony and Roxanne Marterie about redeveloping the property at 6960 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Specifically, they would like to convert the property from a one-story office building with a parking lot to a two-story building with four residential condominium units. The vacant building is zoned as office institutional.

On May 18, town commission-

Mark Bergin

Some clearing work is underway at 597 Buttonwood Drive. Mark Ursini is proposing to redevelop the property to build two homes.

ers are set to discuss whether they want to allow each proposal on the November ballot.

If the commission does not authorize a proposal to appear on the ballot, the person seeking the referendum can gather petition signatures of 10% of the Longboat Key voters to be allowed on the ballot. Longboat Key has about 7,000 voters.

Town leaders have told the Supervisor of Elections offices in Manatee and Sarasota counties that November is the earliest Longboat Key voters could consider a referendum.

Snyder seeks to build a maximum of 10 residential units on about 3.75 acres that fronts Gulf of Mexico Drive in the 6800 block. Before Ursini or Freedman

com use.

Th

File photo

Pattigeorge’s, north of Bayfront Park, was demolished in June 2018.

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wrote about their own requests for referendums, Synder said his company, Whitney Plaza LLC, would cover the costs of an offcycle election.

Although the 597 Buttonwood Drive property is zoned as a commercial-use property, it appears some clearing work is underway of the trees and vegetation.

In the 1980s, the town’s voters made it mandatory for any increase in residential development to come before voters in a referendum. Only one such referendum has succeeded: a 2019 request for 1.8 acres at 5630 Gulf of Mexico Drive. The vote was 1,056 for and 838 against, though the Mote Foundation continues to own the land, and it retains its commercial use.

The owners of the proposed Buccaneer Restaurant at 4120 Gulf of Mexico Drive are set to have a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Board on May 21.

It’s the site of the former Pattigeorge’s, just north of Bayfront Park. Pattigeorge’s was demolished in June 2018.

The P&Z Board will consider a site development plan for a 196seat, 14,325-square-foot restaurant. The board will also consider a special exception to allow an elevator shaft that exceeds the maximum height by 3 feet and outdoor dining.

Town staff recommends approval.

Because the Buccaneer Restaurant submitted its application to the town in April 2020 before the June 2020 restaurant parking changes took effect, it is subject to the town’s old parking rules. It means instead of requiring one parking space for every 150 square feet of floor area, the Buccaneer must have one parking spot for every four seats.

With 196 seats, it means the Buccaneer Restaurant will need 47 parking spots instead of the 96 that would be required under the new parking rules.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

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FURTHER REVIEW Residents call for action to help turn down the volume from anchored boats near north-end neighborhoods.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

F

or years, Longboat Key leaders have tried to figure out solutions for north-end residents’ complaints about loud music from boats moored around Jewfish Key and north-end beaches.

This spring, the issue has arisen again, along with the volume and residents’ frustration levels.

Town commissioners have heard complaints over the past few weeks from residents over what they insist is an untenable situation, particularly on weekends.

Still, town leaders insist, there is no simple solution.

“It’s noisy. It’s obnoxious,” resident James Haft said. “Two weekends ago, there was a particular boat that had an all-weekend rage party going on [that] kept the whole neighborhood up Friday night [with] disco lights and the stereo so loud that our windows were shaking in the house.”

On April 24, Longboat Key police received a report of fireworks launched from a vessel moored between Longboat Key and Jewish Key. Haft provided pictures and videos of similar instances.

In that case, a land-based patrol officer coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard and was taken out to speak to the owner of a boat in the area, who denied launching the fireworks, police reports show.

Neighbor Pat Beavers insists neighbors aren’t seeking a “nofun zone,” just a balance between revelers’ good-times and residents’ peace and quiet. Even with hurricane-proof windows at the Beavers’ home one Friday night, his 17-year-old son couldn’t sleep because of the noise.

“He plays soccer year-round, and he had an event the next day, and he came out and he said,

‘Dad, I just can’t sleep with this,’” Beavers said. “We actually had out-of-town guests at the time.

My brother had made it down for the first time since the pandemic, and the whole house was up, so it was embarrassing. It was uncomfortable.”

At issue is the limits of town police authority on the water. In August 2016, the Florida Attorney General’s Office determined the Intracoastal Waterway is off limits for Longboat ordinances, though the landmass of Jewfish Key falls within Longboat Key’s municipal boundaries.

Town marine patrol officers routinely issue warnings and some citations in the waters around the island, but most regularly, they involve safety-equipment violations or vessels creating wakes in slow-speed zones.

The most recent flurry of noise complaints prompted Commissioner BJ Bishop to speak up at the end of the May 3 Town Commission meeting. Newly installed Commissioner Maureen Merrigan likewise has heard complaints.

“The fact that we are limited because allegedly what the state says we can do is not a reason for us to sit on our hands, and so I would ask the town attorney and the town manager to find out how we solve the problem and how we give these people their homes back,” Bishop said.

“Right now, they lock themselves in their houses because you can’t sit on the back porch. You can’t sit by your pool because the noise is hideous, and then this is all weekend every weekend.”

The Longboat Key Police Department Marine Patrol Unit has tried to make its presence known by periodically patrolling the area. However, Longboat Key police have a total of two boats to patrol about 10.5 miles of shoreline on each side of the island.

“When our vessel is out, we have

Courtesy photos

Lands End Drive resident Pat Beavers took this photo of fireworks coming from a boat April 16.

IT’S THE LAW

Noise ordinances are outlined in Chapter 130.02 of the Town Code: “If something is so loud that it is annoying other people or something like that, then law enforcement will be out there to either knock on doors or to go up to the boats in a basin and … advise them that it’s too loud, and it’s interfering with the great atmosphere that we have here in Longboat Key, and ask them to turn it down,” interim Police Chief George Turner said. “And 99.9% of the time, that’s a welcomed request, and the people that are making that noise have been turning it down, so we’ll continue to do that.”

a lot of waterways, so depending on where it is, we obviously have high visibility patrol in the Jewfish and Beer Can Island area, and we will maintain that,” interim Police Chief George Turner said, adding that patrol officers can

often respond quicker to noise complaints on land.

When not on duty, the town police coordinates with nearby law enforcement agencies, such as Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard. Likewise, the town’s marine unit often works with other agencies to respond to emergencies on the water.

Roth said she’s seen that when law enforcement patrols the area, boats will turn their music down.

However, once law enforcement leaves, Roth said the loud music resumes to the “highest decibel level.”

“They do not go to these boats and hassle them,” Roth said. “I don’t see anything wrong with going up there, and saying, ‘Please turn the music down.’”

Roth and other neighbors mentioned how they believe speaker technology has improved over the past several years, which lets boat owners crank the music.

Haft said he’d like to see law enforcement begin to issue warnings or citations.

“If they do that often enough, I think this problem would be solved,” Haft said.

Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier said he had reviewed the complaints of residents.

“The question may focus on what exactly is the Intracoastal Waterway for purposes of who has control?” Schneier said Town Attorney Maggie Mooney suggested for commissioners to bring up potential solutions at a future Town Commission workshop.

“Our noise problem is a noiseon-the-water problem,” Mooney said. “It’s not a general noise problem on our island.”

Mooney proposed discussing the issue at the June 21 workshop meeting instead of the May 18 workshop.

“We are pretty tight on time for the May workshop,” Mooney said.

“If that’s acceptable to the commission, we can get fully briefed and talk about some other ways to perhaps try to skin this cat again.”

Several boaters dock on the weekends on the north end of Longboat Key.

“It’s noisy.

It’s obnoxious.

Two weekends ago, there was a particular boat that had an allweekend rage party going on [that] kept the whole neighborhood up Friday night [with] disco lights and the stereo so loud that our windows were shaking in the house.”

— Resident James Haft

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

Resorts concerned about the costs of turtle-rule changes

WRONG WAY LONGBOAT KEY ■ Turtle nests: 4,748 ■ Disorientation rate: 14% LIDO KEY ■ Turtle nests: 542 ■ Disorientation rate: 11% SIESTA KEY ■ Turtle nests: 2,158 ■ Disorientation rate: 7%

If the changes get approved, Gulf-front properties would have a year to make sure they’re in compliance.

STAFF WRITER

People who run beachfront resorts have expressed concerns about changes to sea turtle protection rules under consideration

by Longboat Key. “The majority of the guests totally understand about the safety of turtles and the lighting,” Longboat Key Club Managing Director Rick Konsavage said.

“One of the things that we always are concerned with is the less lighting out toward the beach.

We have a lot of boardwalks and access points. We’re worried about people falling or tripping as well.”

Sand Cay Beach Resort General Manager Lyn Sorensen has similar concerns.

“If we didn’t have any illumination, to that point, we’d have people falling,” Sorensen said.

“And I have an older population that comes and stays.”

Sorensen said Sand Cay has used turtle-friendly light bulbs and downlights, as town leaders have suggested.

The Town Commission’s next regular meeting is June 7, when final consideration on the new rules could take place. On May 3, commissioners voted 7-0 on the first reading of the ordinance.

The town’s proposals include requiring exterior sources of artificial light visible from the beach to be turtle-friendly bulbs; prohibiting beach furniture to be within 5 feet of marked marine turtle nests; adding language to explain the permitting review process; adding a lighting inspection process for new developments; allowing the use of permitted motorized vehicles to retrieve beach furniture on the beach; prohibiting temporary lights, such as lanterns or Tiki torches; and storing portable recreational equipment nightly.

Lighting that meets FWC standards is typically amber, orange or red in a wavelength less disruptive to sea turtles than standard white lights.

Additionally, the bulbs or lenses must be shielded.

If the commission approves the proposed revisions, they wouldn’t

VENICE ■ Turtle nests: 2,158 ■ Disorientation rate: 12% FWC data from 2017-2020

Nat Kaemmerer

Sea turtle nesting season runs each year from May 1 to Oct. 31.

take effect until May 2022.

“One thing to always consider is the cost of doing this with businesses and residents — it does cost money every time they make changes,” Konsavage said. “We’re more than happy to work within the guidelines.”

Sorensen said she doesn’t believe it’s enough time.

“You have to remember some of these associations aren’t as lucrative as others,” Sorensen said.

Sand Cay is a 57-unit facility.

Sorensen said Sand Cay con-

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MARK BERGIN

CASEY KEY ■ Turtle nests: 6,876 ■ Disorientation rate: 1%

LONGBOAT

Observer 5570 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, FL 34228 PHONE: 941-383-5509 | WEBSITE: www.YourObserver.com

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sidered accepting a $55,226 grant in early 2020 from Gainesvillebased nonprofit Sea Turtle Conservancy to make turtle-friendly upgrades to the property, but decided against it. The resort would have needed to pay $63,000 for its share of the project.

“When we went into COVID shutdown, we could never have afforded $63,000,” Sorensen said.

Konsavage said he’s unsure if new supplies can be sourced quickly enough.

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back-order for months, he said, a situation that exists across many areas of the retail and service industry during the pandemic.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data shows Longboat Key has a higher number of disorientations compared to nearby areas.

It’s the main reason the Town Commission is considering the revised protections.

Disorientation often happens when artificial lighting disrupts the ability of adult sea turtles or hatchlings to find their way to nesting sites or back to the surf.

Sea turtle nesting season runs each year from May 1 to Oct. 31.

The first turtle nest of the season was spotted May 4.

Nesting numbers hit a record of 1,342 in 2019 (with 1,518 false crawls). In 2020, that number fell to 1,136 with 1,307 false crawls.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

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Commissioners advance plan for firefighter cancer coverage Town’s protections would follow model already set in 2019 state regulations.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

Courtesy photo

Firefighters David Oliger and Ron Franklin put out a boat fire.

A law passed in 2019 by the Florida Legislature has prompted Longboat Key leaders to begin the process of including certain employer-funded cancer benefits for town firefighters. Commissioners granted initial approval, with a second vote still to come.

“This ordinance references a state statute that was enacted a couple of years ago that says that if a firefighter becomes totally and permanently disabled as a result of one of 21 different types of cancer, which are specified in the state law, then the firefighter will be considered to have become disabled in the line of duty,” said Jim Linn, a lawyer with Lewis, Longman and Walker, a St. Petersburg law firm the town consults with on matter of retirement and pensions. “So whether you put this language in your code or not, the state law will require that firefighters who incur one of these 21 types of cancer be considered to be disabled for purposes of your pension plan.”

Florida law states that instead of pursuing workers’ compensation coverage, a firefighter is enti-

DEFINITION

“Cancer” includes bladder, brain, breast, cervical colon, esophageal, invasive skin, kidney, large intestine, lung, malignant melanoma, mesothelioma, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, oral cavity and pharynx, ovarian, prostate, rectal, stomach, testicular and thyroid.

tled to cancer treatment coverage and a one-time cash payout of $25,000 upon the initial diagnosis of cancer.

In order to be entitled, firefighters must fulfill the following criteria: ■ Be employed full time as firefighters; ■ Be employed by the state, university, city, county, port authority, special district or fire control district; ■ Have been employed by their employer for at least five continuous years; ■ Not have used tobacco products for at least the preceding five years; and ■ Have not been employed in any other position in the preceding five years that is proven to create a higher risk for cancer.

In April, Longboat Key Fire Chief Paul Dezzi told the Longboat

Observer that the state law came about based on data that indicated firefighters were experiencing cancers at a higher rate than other professions. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate a 9% higher rate of cancer for firefighters and a 14% higher rate of deaths from cancer. Chemicals tied to smoke and combustion are thought to be to blame.

The town is about a month away from opening its new fire station at 2162 Gulf of Mexico Drive. The new station and the remodeled mid-island station will include a decontamination area, so firefighters returning from a call can clean and shower to do their best to remove possible carcinogens and store gear exposed to potential harmful substances away from their living areas. The system is an initiative of the International Association of Fire Fighters, Dezzi said.

Before voting against the measure, Commissioner Sherry Dominick wondered about the benefit of adding the language into the town’s pension plan rather than simply following state law.

“Why not just go with a state statute as it is and leave it at that?” Dominick asked.

Linn said the town already lists specific disabilities in its code and that adding the cancers listed by the state measure was a logical extension.

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Parked police cars aimed at safety MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

T

here’s an old slogan: Perception is more important than reality.

Anyone driving on or off Longboat Key might immediately slow their speeds upon seeing police cars parked near the ends of the island. Many times, the cars are vacant.

Sometimes, they’re not.

“At first, I thought it might be somebody was hiding in it, but I think everybody knows it’s sitting there empty now,” Country Club Shores Section IV Homeowner’s Association President Lynn Larson said.

Town Manager Tom Harmer said the police cars, empty or otherwise, are part of a “calming effort” to help slow traffic down.

“The police department has been rotating their cars when they’re not in use to just help calm traffic,” Harmer said. “We had safety concerns by the pedestrian crossovers.”

Town leaders have met with the Florida Department of Transportation about enhancing safety at six of the town’s signalized crosswalks.

Harmer said the police department initially had its car positioned on Gulf of Mexico Drive and Longboat Club Road near the Country Club Shores Phase IV entrance.

“I appreciate that it gives a presence of a police car, and the people who are new to the island, they may not know that it’s emp-

Mark Bergin

ty,” Larson said.

Specifically, many people throughout the town say the yellow-signal crosswalks don’t get traffic to stop to allow pedestrians to safely cross GMD. Larson described a situation where her daughter and family members stopped at a crosswalk while driving on GMD to turn into Country Club Shores.

“They were stopped with the lights flashing, and there were two young women crossing the street, and somebody passed her in the passing lane,” Larson said.

“The fact that [there weren’t] two people killed is amazing.”

Larson expressed her appreciation that Country Club Shores has a crosswalk because other parts of GMD don’t.

“When my grandkids were younger, before we had this crosswalk, I would be carrying one grandkid and holding the other one’s hand and also trying to navigate that street with the cars coming and a couple of beach towels,” Larson said.

On April 30, a vacant Longboat Key police car was parked on Gulf of Mexico Drive near Longboat Club Road.

The vacant cars help slow down speedy drivers.

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

LONGBOAT

OPINION / OUR VIEW

The road to totalitarianism?

Overlay what’s happening in the U.S. today with the six elements needed to achieve a socialist state, and you can see where we’re headed.

MATT WALSH

A

fter the 2000 presidential elections, when Katherine Harris presided as Florida secretary of state through the BushGore hanging chads drama, Harris moved on to become this region’s U.S. congresswoman.

Through the hanging chads and after her 2002 election to Congress, the press was merciless. It constantly lampooned her and criticized practically everything she did. Especially the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Harris later told how difficult it was to live through that — until a friend gave her the following advice: “Quit reading the paper and watching TV.” She took the advice. Not long after, she told us how much her life and happiness had improved.

She went about her business in Congress, did her job and ignored the chattering, clattering nabobs. And she was happy.

It works. After the election of Joe Biden, why put yourself through the misery of reading and watching what was about to unfold — and indeed has unfolded?

But in this era of 24/7 commentariats in every medium and from friends and others filling your email inbox with the daily doings of Biden and the “world of woke” in Washington, a newspaper editor can’t turn it off.

A POLITICAL PANDEMIC

You cannot live in denial of what surrounds you. You cannot ignore what has been occurring these past 100 days, nor erase the four years leading up to them. You cannot ignore what seems surreal but is all too real: the social strife unlike any other period of conflict in American history.

A political pandemic toward totalitarian socialism spreading at a rapid pace. A rejection of the constitution of individual liberty to the point we hear this refrain daily: “This is not the country I knew and loved.”

But millions and millions of those who voted for Biden and the Democrats are telling pollsters they like what they see.

They’re so happy just to get rid of Donald Trump that they’re not complaining about the $3 per gallon and rising gas prices, rising grocery prices, the cancer of cancel culture or the Green New Deal. Surely, no one could be happier than self-described democratic socialist Bernie Sanders.

But at the same time, if you pay attention at all to what is

happening now and try to see it from 30,000 feet, surely you see what’s happening: the takeover of America by the socialist Washington power mongers, federal government looters, media propagandists, academic brainwashers, leftist mobs and the corporate globalists. As one email in our inbox put it: “Atlas Shrugged on steroids.”

In Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged,” the ruling political and academic classes seek to confiscate and redistribute everything from the producers in the name of altruism. But when the producers see how the powerful loot others’ wealth, they leave society and set up a new capitalist society in Galt’s Gulch, leaving behind the destruction, poverty, starvation, unemployment and misery wrought by the ruling classes.

In one of the emails forwarded into our inbox, Mark Jeftovic, the author of the investing newsletter Bombthrower.com, likens what is happening in the U.S. today to one of the themes of “Atlas Shrugged”: “The social contract no longer seems to be a matter of middle-class protections and living standards but instead becomes starkly authoritarian and one-sided. What is clear is that the existing institutions are now functioning to defend the position of the over class, not to uphold the rights and liberties of the underclass.”

He’s describing what is occurring before our eyes.

ROAD TO SERFDOM

Some of you might think we’re just another Trumpian who can’t accept Biden’s victory. But overlay the following context and the content of the accompanying box on what’s happening in America today.

The time: 1958, not long after the most brutal war the world had ever seen and the early, frightful days of the Cold War, the threat of Communist Russia wanting to do what Hitler could not — wipe out the U.S. and spread communism throughout the world.

At Harvard University, one James Lombard, who later became the Republican House leader in the Florida Legislature, was a student in Government 1A. To this day, he has his notes. Based on the experiences of government officials during the trauma of two totalitarian empires, they compiled what they taught in Government 1A: “The Elements of Totalitarian Government” … the six elements needed to bring about a totalitarian-socialist state (see box).

Call us nuts, but the six elements seem to be in parallel with what the Democratic left wants to achieve. Biden and his comrades want to print and print and print trillions of increasingly worthless dollars and hand them out to forgive college loans; to pay for children’s day care, making families increasingly beholden to the state; to pay

ELEMENTS NEEDED TO ACHIEVE A TOTALITARIAN-SOCIALIST STATE The following are the six elements necessary to bring about a totalitarian government as taught in Government 1A at Harvard University in 1958.

We’ve tacked onto the six elements how they are manifested today.

1. PROPAGANDA

It’s the concerted effort to spread biased, misleading and damaging information to advance or destroy a political cause or point of view, e.g., that the U.S. is systemically racist; that white people are the root cause of America’s evils; and that white supremacists are the greatest threat to national security.

2. CONTROL THE PARTY

Today, this would be the Democratic Party. And we see it: The left, left wing of the party is in charge. And those in charge are not just Bernie Sanders, Alexandria OcasioCortez, Barack Obama and their acolytes. The leaders of the party also include MSM, the mainstream media, which fuels the propaganda 24/7, and the tech giants controlling speech. In short, the propaganda is running the party; the party is not controlling the propaganda.

3. CONTROL THE POLICE

“Defund the police.” America’s police forces are being emasculated and destroyed. Record numbers of police officers are quitting, leaving law-abiding citizens at the mercy of the mobs.

4. SECRET POLICE

America’s secret police are everywhere — the IRS, the FBI, the upper echelons of the Department of Justice.

Remember Lois Lerner (IRS)?

James Clapper? And compare the treatment by the FBI and Justice Department of anyone

for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal, a Utopian farce that will raise the cost of living for everyone and especially impoverish the poor even more; to tax the producers to make everyone more equal.

The goal is to control every aspect of Americans’ lives from the Central Authority.

It is as famed Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek spelled out in 1944, “The Road to Serfdom.”

How can it be stopped?

It’s difficult to think elections can do it. There is not much difference between the ruling Republicans and Democrats in Washington. Democrats loathed Trump; Republicans loathe Biden.

Reverse course through the long process of educating the next generation? Ha! Public schools are a lost cause.

In Robert Reilly’s recent book, “America on Trial: A Defense of

associated with Donald Trump compared to Hillary Clinton and her destroyed servers and Hunter Biden and his unregistered associations with China and Ukraine.

5. CONTROL THE ARMED FORCES

One explicit symbol of this is the secretary of defense’s appointment of Bishop Garrison, senior adviser on “Human Capital and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.” Garrison has been assigned to root out anyone in the military considered an extremist.

What’s an extremist? According to the Department of Defense, a “patriot extremist,” among other traits, has a “core belief” “that the U.S. government has become corrupt, has overstepped its constitutional boundaries.” (Who doesn’t think that?)

If you read Garrison’s resume and comments on various subjects, Garrison unequivocally embraces the leftist, anti-white views, including being an ardent supporter of the New York Times’s antiAmerican 1619 Project.

Think of this comparison as well: How the mainstream media crucified former Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley for walking with Trump to St. Johns Church in the wake of riots in U.S. cities and how the media has voiced nary a word about the military garrisons surrounding the U.S. Capitol in the wake of the January siege.

6. CONTROL THE MOB AS A POLITICAL TOOL

Surely, you have to wonder: Why haven’t rioters, looters and shooters in Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, New York and elsewhere been arrested and prosecuted to the same extent as those who participated in the Capitol riots?

“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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the Founding,” he quotes extensively John Locke, the English philosopher who had a heavy influence on America’s Founding Fathers. In one section discussing Locke’s influence, Reilly quotes Locke on “the liberty of man.” Locke: “Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience and are left to the common refuge which God hath provided for all men against force and violence.” This, Locke said, is the right to revolution.

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The government didn’t build gas stations Yes, power to the people for sure, but when it comes to electric cars, the power supply solution needs some careful consideration.

When we phased out the horse and buggy, the government didn’t build gas stations.

The idea, like Whitney’s restaurant, to provide charging stations to encourage business is a good one, for example. The only way the government should be involved in providing charging stations is if it is by a selfliquidating, up-front capital expense reimbursed by user fees, including administrative, development, construction, maintenance, adjusted for inflation and power costs. (Why not some profit too?)

The federal government is proposing to provide a halfmillion charging stations across the country at a staggering expense. Let’s hope taxpayers are reimbursed in a reasonable time through user fees.

Unfortunately, this new electric infrastructure will probably be in ground way ahead of the actual demand, and in any event, we will never see a return on this “investment.”

Yes, this might incentivize electric car buying as with the federal electric car tax subsidies. But in short, when there is demand, business will supply.

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

Commission amends budget related to sewage break The $795,000 fulfills legal costs and requirements of the state’s consent order.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

T

he Longboat Key Town Commission voted unanimously last week to amend the fiscal year 2021 budget for costs associated with the June 2020 sewage break.

An additional $795,000 is needed to fulfill the requirements of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s consent order.

“It doesn’t involve the general fund,” Town Manager Tom Harmer said. “It’s all within the utility fund.”

A total of $795,000 from the fund balance and depreciation expense is transferred to: ■ Town attorney professional services: $40,000 ■ Other attorneys’ professional services: $220,000 ■ Pollution/conservation management: $535,000 The approved amendment leaves the town with $10.7 million in unrestricted fund balance within the utility fund.

The decision also transfers $405,000 from wet well and

REQUIREMENTS

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maintenance hole repairs, Gulf of Mexico Drive gravity crossing and rehabilitation of sewer lines to wastewater collection subaqueous rehab.

“The other capital project fund is taking existing capital money within the budget and putting it into a single line item related to

the subaqueous pipe and relates to the assessment of the existing pipe,” Harmer said.

The town is working with an engineer to finalize plans to perform a reassessment of the existing pipeline by Sept. 30, 2022.

“The fund transfer below is expected to be adequate to accomplish the full assessment as recommended by our engineer,” Public Works Director Isaac Brownman wrote in a memo to Harmer.

Commissioners also voted 7-0 in favor of hiring the Tampa law firm of Gaylord, Merlin, Ludovici & Diaz as the town considers projects that could involve rightof-way acquisitions. Harmer said one of those potential acquisitions is the wastewater line.

The town is proposing a $16 million project to build a second sewer pipe from Longboat Key, across Sarasota Bay and western Manatee County to a treatment plant near Conquistador Parkway. It’s unclear how much spending would occur from possible land acquisitions.

Last month, commissioners approved two environmental projects to satisfy the FDEP consent order.

The state must still review and approve the projects, which include improvements to the wet well at Master Lift Station D on Gulf Bay Road and replacing a backup generator.

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

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WHEELED AWAY 11:51 a.m., 6800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Theft: A property manager reported the theft of two Waste Management trash bins and a recycling bin from the same company. Per a quote from Waste Management, the bins were valued at $60 total. An officer canvassed the property but could not find the missing bins. A video system on the premises was said to be not working properly.

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WATER BREAK 2:15 p.m., northbound Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen assist: An officer checked to see why a vehicle was stopped partially in the bicycle lane with its flashers activated.

The driver said he became nauseous while driving. The officer gave the driver a bottle of water and asked that he pull entirely off the bike lane.

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TREE 1, CAR 0 9:18 a.m., 6500 block of Bayou Hammock Road Property damage, not vandalism: A resident called police to report that he had damaged his vehicle while backing out of his property. He said his driver’s side front tire had struck a tree, disabling the vehicle. The driver was advised to complete a self-report on the incident on the Florida Highway Patrol website.

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TROUBLE ON BROADWAY 5:37 p.m., 600 block of Broadway Street Citizen dispute: While in the neighborhood, an officer on patrol heard commotion nearby and went to investigate. What

MAY 1

TIKI TALKING 11:57 p.m., 3100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Noise: A group of people gathered at a Tiki hut and talking loudly told an officer who responded to the area following a complaint that they were leaving for the night.

They refused to offer any other information.

he found was a property owner who said she had yelled at a dog owner for allowing the pet to relieve itself on her yard. The dog owner said the resident tried to grab the dog’s leash to lead the animal from the property and that the resident had been belligerent. The resident said she had previously asked the dog owner not to allow the dog to use the property to relieve itself. The officer reported he did not directly witness any infractions.

UP ON THE ROOF 8:09 p.m., 700 block of Old Compass Road Noise: A neighborhood call about roof work progressing past allowed hours prompted an officer to check out the situation. The officer encountered a work crew with limited mastery of English.

The officer was able to explain the work hours and understood

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

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MAY 6

WHO’S A GOOD DOG? 12:54 a.m., 6900 block of Poinsettia Drive Animal complaint: A barkingdog complaint prompted an officer to arrive at a home, only to find no humans present. The officer stopped the dogs from barking, at which point the resident returned home and said he would address the situation. The officer issued a warning.

SERVICE ABOVE SELF 1:50 a.m., 7000 block of Bayside Drive Citizen assist: An officer was sent to a home to assist a 89-year-old homeowner in closing the garage door. The officer was successful securing it.

MAY 1

RENEGADE BARBECUE 2:30 p.m., 3600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen dispute: Police were called over an argument stemming from a man, a woman and six children moving off a public beach to use a privately maintained barbecue grill nearby. By the time an officer arrived, the group had departed.

MAY 2

CAPTURING A MOMENT 7:29 p.m., 7000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Suspicious incident: Police could not locate a pickup truck that had been reportedly stopped in the middle of Gulf of Mexico Drive. A witness said someone in the vehicle appeared to be taking photographs.

A MYSTERIOUS CALL FOR HELP 8:28 p.m., 100 block of North Shore Road Suspicious incident: A beachgoer leaving the area reported hearing the sound of a woman calling for help from within a patch of mangroves near the beach. Police searched but found no one in danger. Others on the beach told officers they had not heard such a cry for help.

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A BAD DAY FISHING 8:47 p.m., Longboat Pass Bridge Information report: A boater who was not identified called police from the water to say someone on the bridge above threw something at his vessel as he passed through. Anglers on the bridge told an officer a boat had passed recently and fouled their fishing lines and continued heading east from the bridge.

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WHO’S THERE? 8:34 a.m., 3500 block of Fair Oaks Drive Animal complaint: An officer sent to a home on an animal call encountered an injured owl on the lanai. Animal Control officers arrived to care for the bird and take it for treatment.

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DELIVERING DAMAGE 11:44 a.m., 3700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Property damage, not vandalism: Two days after a truck had been on the property delivering furniture, damage had been noted to a community clubhouse’s rain gutters. There was no surveillance video of the area, and the caller to police could not confirm the delivery truck was responsible for the damage, which was estimated at $3,000.

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

CIRCLE CORNERSTONE A developer wants the city to consider turning a St. Armands parking lot into a mixed-use hub anchored by a hotel. Could that one day become reality?

DAVID CONWAY DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

G

avin Meshad wants to make clear that he doesn’t have any formal development plans for the Fillmore Drive parking lot on St. Armands Circle. He just sees a lot of potential there.

On May 17, Meshad is scheduled to give a presentation to the City Commission on behalf of commercial development firm JWM Management outlining a preliminary concept for a hypothetical mixed-use project on the 1.98acre, city-owned parking lot.

A slideshow presentation shared with the city and obtained via a records request highlights details of that conceptual design: a 98-room boutique hotel, a 15,000-square-foot grocery store, six town homes and 270 public parking spaces, maintaining the capacity of the existing lot.

Meshad described the concept and the associated renderings in the presentation as a “cartoon,” a first crack at imagining what could be built on the Fillmore lot, located in the southeast quadrant of the Circle. But Meshad wants to seriously gauge the commission’s interest in facilitating the eventual development of that site.

STRUCTURE COMPARISON

The proposed design concept (top) in comparison to a single-use parking garage structure on the other side of St. Armand’s Circle (bottom).

“I think the thought is that it’s an underutilized city asset,” Meshad said.

It’s unclear what action, if any, the commission might take.

Through spokesperson Jason Bartolone, the city declined to comment substantively, stating it was premature prior to the commission meeting.

Meshad said he saw the presentation as an opportunity to see if the commission shares his thoughts on the Fillmore lot’s potential as a development site. If the answer is no, he said, then his company will know not to dedicate any more time to producing a more detailed plan. He’s hopeful the answer is yes and that the city will work to advance the concept in some form.

“The purpose of the meeting is more to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got this idea — is there a will and a desire to explore it?’” he said.

The commission has multiple options for conveying or leasing a city-owned property that does not necessarily require a formal bidding process, Bartolone said.

But the scope of the proposed development would require a series of regulatory changes that could take up to a year to finalize.

For months, the St. Armands Business Improvement Dis-

trict has been discussing zoning changes on St. Armands Circle that could facilitate hotels, residences and taller buildings. The BID is a self-taxing city body of St. Armands property owners.

Members of the BID board — including Meshad — suggested the Circle would benefit from rules that were more accommodating of a mixture of uses. Hotels are not permitted on the Circle, which BID board members suggested was incongruous in a tourist district.

At meetings in March and April, the BID began to refine its vision for regulatory changes on the Circle. In addition to pursuing permission to build hotels, the group hopes to make it easier to build residences.

Most of the group’s desired changes can be achieved via a zoning text amendment, which requires Planning Board and City Commission review. But one additional revision — increasing the maximum building height from 35 to 45 feet — would require a comprehensive plan amendment, a process that requires supermajority support from the commission and state review.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

As the BID has discussed the possibility of reshaping building rules within the Circle, board members have emphasized the importance of building consensus with other stakeholders on St. Armands Key. The group has pledged to communicate with and gather input

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Courtesy renderings

The concept includes a mixed-use complex including public parking, a gourmet market, a boutique hotel and town homes.

IF YOU GO

REGULAR CITY COMMISSION MEETING When: 6 p.m. Monday, May 17 Where: Commission Chambers, City Hall, 1565 First St.

from residents. Already, the group has heard some preliminary feedback from Chris Goglia, the president of the St. Armands Residents Association, who spoke at the March BID meeting. Goglia

said he anticipated there would be diverging opinions among residents about the future of the Circle, but he signaled at least one issue he anticipated that could garner concern from people living nearby is the development of the Fillmore Drive parking lot.

“St. Armands only has about 210 houses on it, and many of those houses are right next to this thing, and many of those houses are a block away from this thing,” Goglia said. “I think that is probably what the residents would be most concerned about: What is currently a big flat piece of land,

what kind of giant structure could go there?”

At that meeting, Meshad shared his intent to pursue development on the Fillmore parking lot. He said that in addition to the review processes for the zoning code and comprehensive plan amendments, a potential project on the parking lot would require another step allowing public input and city oversight.

Meshad said the presentation to the commission was a first step. Meshad said he’s already had some preliminary conversation with St. Armands residents, and

should the commission express interest in pursuing a project, he said his company would conduct community outreach and provide opportunities for public input.

The presentation asserts there are a series of public benefits associated with the concept design. In addition to maintaining the parking spaces, the design includes burying overhead power lines, eliminating visible retention ponds, enhancing landscaping, providing public restrooms and creating a parklet area.

The presentation also echoes comments made at recent BID

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

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meetings, arguing that a hotel development would not negatively affect traffic in the area. The presentation suggests that adding hotel rooms in the Circle could cut down on vacation rental activity in nearby residential areas.

The presentation states the grocery store would provide a needed amenity for barrier island residents.

“The proposed concept has been designed with a strong focus on providing a project that will benefit the Circle and the community alike,” the presentation states.

Goglia said that the residents association wouldn’t take a stance on the proposed zoning changes unless a strong majority of residents came out in support of or in opposition to the revisions. As an individual, Goglia said he was still sorting through his thoughts on how the changes might affect the Circle — and, by proxy, its surroundings.

“If approved, will this happen all at once? Not likely,” Goglia wrote in an email Wednesday to the residents association. “But someone will go first, and then others will follow, and then you’ll likely see consolidation of the smaller buildings.”

Ahead of the presentation to the City Commission, Meshad emphasized the project was conceptual.

“There’s a lot of mountains to move before something could happen,” Meshad said.

Still, he’s eager to move forward with a thorough community conversation about the future of the Fillmore lot.

“It’s sitting there, it’s not providing much to the community, and it merits some further discussion,” Meshad said.

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

Church pals come together for clams

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M

embers of St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church were happy as clams May 4. Friends and visiting family congregated for a clambake on the back lot of the church for dinner and the opportunity to catch up with old pals.

For some, it was the last shindig before heading back north.

The Men’s Club put on the event, and a team of volunteer chefs worked in the kitchen of the fellowship hall to get the dishes ready.

For those less inclined to seafood, Lenny DiStefano prepared chicken Marsala meals. Outside, members mingled around tables, happy to see familiar faces. The clambake was an indicator of events to come for church members, who are excited to get back to socializing.

“We’re going to do a lot more things this summer,” Men’s Club President Chuck Sobieck said.

“The Men’s Club is ready to go.”

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Above: Lenny DiStefano cooks the chicken Marsala meals.

Left: Jerry McGovern tends the bar for the evening.

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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FAM I LY Photos by Nat Kaemmerer

Jeanne Bennett talks about important documents to consider as well as naming a durable power of attorney and health care surrogate.

Kiwanis Club hears from elder law attorney Jeanne Bennett discussed the thornier parts of planning for the unthinkable.

Family Owned.

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NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

A

failure to plan is a plan to fail, they say, and members of the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key learned what they can do to plan for the things in life no one wants to think about. Elder law attorney Jeanne Bennett spoke at the club’s May 6 meeting about planning for incapacitation and end-of-life care.

“It’s a little different from an estate planning attorney because estate planners are really concerned with what happens after

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death, which is important; what happens with our will; what happens with our taxes, inheritance, and that sort of thing,” Bennett said. “But elder law attorneys are geared more toward planning for incapacity.”

Bennett went through a list of what she said are important documents and plans to consolidate, including naming a durable power of attorney and health care surrogate. A lot of her practice deals with guardianship.

“While you have capacity, you name somebody whom you trust,” Bennett said. “This person is going to be able to take care of my finances and pay my bills.

Often you think of it as being a spouse, … but if your spouse is incapacitated, or your spouse is pre-deceased, then you don’t have a power of attorney, and then you really have to look at guardianship.”

Another one to have in place is a health care surrogate — the person who will make health care decisions. Aside from those documents, Bennett said to make sure that beneficiaries are all in order for life insurance and the doling out of assets after death.

“Have a conversation with the person that you’re naming,” Bennett said. “And it’s kind of a weird conversation, but it’s important to make time to tell your loved ones what kind of care you want at the end of your life.”

The bottom line from Bennett was simple enough but complicated in practice: Far before tragedy strikes, plan for the painful and awkward parts of navigating that tragedy. Check documents and beneficiaries, and compile a single place in the home where those can be accessed.

This applies to long-term care,

whether people want to invest in upgrades to make aging in place easier or if they want to look into a care facility.

“When people have to move into a facility, it’s an emergency, so that’s when people are scrambling, and they’re racing around looking at facilities, and they end up in a place where you might really not want to be,” Bennett said. “That’s why you just want to think of this stuff beforehand.”

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Nesting birds find a more peaceful home Least terns that got scared off Lido are resettling on north Longboat Key. NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

F

or the groups of least terns nesting on and around Longboat Key, the strategy is now “divide and conquer.”

Usually, the birds nest successfully on North Lido, though they nested at the site of the former Colony Beach & Tennis Resort and Whitney Beach in 2018.

Least terns like the scrubby, wild, unraked beaches of those specific spots. This year, though, there are multiple small groups coming back to and pinning their hopes on the safety of Longboat Key. “After a week, we had seven nests and 50 birds in total,” said Kylie Wilson, Audubon Florida’s shorebird stewardship and monitoring coordinator. “That was on Lido. But they abandoned. The crows got their eggs, so now what I’m starting to see are these little mini groups nesting in random places. … I had 50 nesting birds, so those birds must have split up and went to smaller groups.”

There are now six nests on Longboat Key, spread out along the northern end of the island.

Five are in one group, but elsewhere, there’s one nest guarded by the parents, which concerns Wilson. These birds nest in colonies for a reason, and fewer adults mean more stress and potential predation from other birds, such as crows, which are drawn in by trash on the beach.

“I’m hoping that more terns will show up where the one bird has decided to nest because that is in the same area where they nest-

Courtesy photo

ed in the past, and maybe with the recruitment of some more pairs, they might be able to be successful there,” Wilson said.

There were some cat tracks where the single nest is, as well as some abandoned eggs, which makes Wilson think there were birds that tried to nest there and got scared off. Unfortunately, the same situation happened at Lido with one of the largest and most productive black skimmers colonies in the state: A cat went through, and now all the birds have scattered. They moved farther north but will have to start nesting all over again.

As for the existing tern nests on Longboat Key, Wilson is waiting anxiously to see how the next few weeks go with both human and animal disturbances. Least terns take about three weeks to hatch, which puts the due date right around the big beach holiday of Memorial Day. If humans can stay settled down and take away beach trash, the birds have a better chance on the wild sands of northern Longboat.

“It’s a really great beach for the birds because it’s pretty natural and not too busy,” Wilson said.

“As long as the space is natural, and it’s not raked on a regular basis, the birds have a chance to settle down and start nesting.”

Least terns nest on North Longboat Key. The birds like the scrubby, wild, unraked beaches of Lido, but attacks by crows have led them to safer ground on Longboat.

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.

Bring a friend or try a new class! Celebrate Older Americans Month with a FREE exercise class in May!

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Through their lens

Jesse Clark, a 20-year-old student at the Ringling College of Art and Design, had Black masculinity and form on his mind for some time.

His new photos show Black men carrying baskets and headdresses on their heads, typically a female custom in many cultures that he twisted into an idea showing the beauty and vulnerability of Black men.

“As a Haitian American, I want to touch back on [this culture],” Clark said. “There are portrayals on television and media of this idea of what the Black male is, and usually, it’s tough and aggressive. I was thinking about what is masculinity and what is vulnerability, and how can I show that so that they know that we too are humans and we have feelings?”

Clark made the headdresses himself — each individually designed with its own colors — and had three of his classmates serve as models.

With a background in dance and ballet that taught him to balance toughness and softness, Clark hopes his photography shows his interest in vulnerability and fragility. Better yet, he’s happy to see it in a gallery. “I still feel young, and I’m in this gallery with a lot of professionals that have been working for years,” Clark said. “I kind of see this as sort of just the beginning.”

M

ay is National Photography Month, and Mara Torres, the owner of the Mara Art Studio + Gallery in the Rosemary District, thought there would be no better way to recognize the art form than with a photographyfocused exhibition.

The work of eight photographers of varying styles and backgrounds from Florida and Puerto Rico is on display as part of “Through the Lens … Perspectives” that opened with a reception May 7.

Two of those photographers are Sarasota figures who have used their cameras to highlight human emotion and different forms of masculinity.

Torres started assembling the exhibit in January.

“I have a vision of what I want,” Torres said. “I started looking at photographers and their work to then put the pieces together to build the puzzle.”

Courtesy photo

BARBARA BANKS Photographer Barbara Banks brought several pieces from her “Worker” series, which looks through a black-and-white framing at the many workers who transformed the 1926 Sarasota High School building into the Sarasota Art Museum.

Torres contacted Banks about joining the exhibit because her portraits of workers highlight the often-overlooked human element that went into the museum.

“They’re overlooked, and they’re underappreciated,” Banks said.

“It was probably one of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever done.”

Her work is a culmination of months as Banks bonded with many of the workers while taking thousands of photos at the site.

“I asked people, day after day, if they would mind if I took their portrait while they worked,” Banks said. “I just was so touched by the way they knew they were being seen. … I showed a genuine interest, and I genuinely did care.”

IF YOU GO ‘THROUGH THE LENS… PERSPECTIVES’ When: Through June 18 Where: Mara Art Studio, 1421 Fifth St., Suite A Info: 914-8110; Mara StudioGallery.com Courtesy photo

Jesse Clark had friends pose as models for his photo gallery examining masculinity.

• Drive-in Church, Sunday at 10:00. Tune your car radio to 107.5 FM • Walk-up Church, enjoy the garden setting and listen to the service

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

• Live-stream - go to AllAngelsLBK.org to watch on-line 354643-1

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

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 SUMMER MASS SCHEDULE Saturday: 5:00 PM Sunday: 8:30 & 10:30 AM Daily Mass at 9:00 AM- Monday through Friday Confessions after daily Mass or by appointment

Masks Required

The Rev. Dr. Norman Pritchard Visitors & Residents Welcome

An Ecumenical Church that Welcomes all People Founded in 1956

•

www.christchurchlbk.org

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

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

Follow us on Facebook • www.longboatislandchapel.org

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

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Watch our 10:00 AM service live: www.bit.ly/cclbksermons

or www.christchurchlbk.org (follow YouTube link)

n Julio Alejandro n Jesill Ayala n Barbara Banks n Jesse Clark n Orlando Negron n Elsa Ortiz n Vanessa Velez n Enuel Viera

THIS MONTH AT SAKLC Sunday 5/23 from 10 to 2pm - Covid Vaccine Clinic Sunday 5/30 at 4pm - Free Memorial Day Weekend Concert featuring the “Swing Sisters”

Face covering required.

Growing in Jesus’ Name

PARTICIPANTS

LUTHERAN CHURCH

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

941-383-8161 • www.AllAngelsLBK.org

Barbara Banks (above) spent months taking various photos of workers (top).

St. Armands Key

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5 Ways to Worship at All Angels

All Angels Episcopal Church | 563 Bay Isles Rd

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

Please wear your mask and maintain social distancing.

Please visit our website 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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STAFF WRITER

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

JESSE CLARK

HARRY SAYER

6400 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

ROGER SELLS

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

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YOUR NEIGHBORS

RIGHT NEXT DOOR Julie McGue searched for her birth family — and found them closer than she could have imagined.

mean, we went to college together. … Back in Indiana, our houses are like a mile away from one another. We don’t have to have long conversations. We just seem to understand each other.”

When she was 48, McGue went in for a breast biopsy, and after years of having no answers when doctors queried about her family’s medical history, she decided there was a lot she needed to know about herself and her biological family’s health.

It was for the health of her four children, too, that she decided to approach her twin about starting the search for their birth parents.

Their father gave them the adoption papers right away, but their mother wasn’t happy about her daughters looking for a family other than the one with which they’d grown up.

“There was a lot of tension in my personal life during the search,” McGue said. “I didn’t know anybody that had done an adoption search, and because closed adoption is such a unique animal, there weren’t a lot of avenues. So I did what most people do nowadays. I went to the internet.”

There were lots of starts and stops over the journey, which lasted five years. This was in 2010, so not as many people had done Ancestry DNA or other familyfinding methods yet. McGue tried it but wound up with a handful of SEE MCGUE, PAGE 6B

Nat Kaemmerer

I

n a cluster of Michigan lake houses, chance made them neighbors, but hearts made them friends, as the

saying goes. But for Longboat Key resident Julie McGue, those friendly neighbors had been family all along.

McGue became a published author with “Twice a Daughter,” which came out May 11 via She Writes Press. It details her journey to find the birth family that had been secret to her in her closed adoption and how her biological family was closer than she could have imagined: Her biological brother literally lived next door.

“It’s like that last piece to the puzzle that you can’t find, and all of a sudden, you figure out where

it goes,” McGue said. “It was an incredible story arc.”

Now 62, McGue and her twin sister, Jenny, had been adopted along with their brother in a closed proceeding. Their parents also had three biological children, so McGue grew up in a big, loving family.

“I kind of don’t know what it feels like not to have siblings, but certainly, having a twin sister is phenomenal,” McGue said. “I

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Courtesy photo

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

Bohannon kick-starts tennis craze More than half of Bird Key Yacht Club members play tennis now with Jackie Bohannon starting clinics and programs.

TOP OF HER GAME

NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

W

Nat Kaemmerer

Jackie Bohannon, the yacht club’s tennis director, is a finalist in the Tennis

the Longboat Key Club for 17 years before being furloughed in March 2020. Since starting at the Bird Key Yacht Club in July 2020, she’s begun giving organized lessons, put together player groups and organized competitive and relaxed tennis events and even racket-stringing.

With the increase in tennis demand, the club has begun to ponder the idea of expanding from its current three tennis courts.

“They say a successful tennis club has 25 members per court,

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Channel and TopSpin’s “America’s Top Coach” contest.

ithin one week, there were two tennis events at the Bird Key Yacht Club that drew more players than could fit at the club’s three courts. More sat on the edges of the courts, watching old friends and new members in friendly round robins.

This is a new sight that coincides with the arrival of the club’s first tennis director, Jackie Bohannon.

“I approached Scott [Brynski, the general manager], after not having a job for about three months with my idea of starting a tennis program here at Bird Key,” Bohannon, 37, said. “They decided to give me a chance on a trial basis and in the middle of a pandemic.

We really didn’t know what to expect. But it was met with a lot of enthusiasm, and it’s really just taken off. We have over 200 tennis players here at the club now.”

That’s more than half of the club members. Most players would say that’s all thanks to Bohannon, a longtime area pro who had been giving lessons at

Jackie Bohannon is the winner of the Tennis Channel and TopSpin “America’s Top Coach” contest, she learned Tuesday. Bohannon was among 25 female finalists and was named the No. 1 coach in the Southeast.

“It was really, really exciting because, I mean, I can name 30 great coaches just in the Sarasota area,” she said. “And then to make the top five was just shocking.

It’s nice to be recognized.”

Bohannon will be featured on Tennis Channel, on Tennis.com, in Tennis Magazine and in the TopSpin Newsletter. She will also receive a $500 Amazon gift card and a trophy.

so right now if we had 75 people playing tennis regularly, well, we would be thriving from a tennis perspective,” Bohannon said.

“And we have over 200 tennis players. We have a separate tennis mailing list. For a yacht club with three tennis courts, we’re really getting as much bang for a buck as we possibly can.”

For 11 years, club member Cindy Thelen played in groups organized by the players themselves.

Now she takes advantage of the clinics and low-key social tennis events that Bohannon does.

“I certainly have been playing more,” Thelen said. “I love the clinics that she heads up, and I play in numerous groups. So actually, I play too much. It gets to the point where I would be out there all day.”

New members have joined the club specifically for tennis, and a Cinco de Mayo round robin event had at least as many new people as established members.

“One of the things I’ve always loved doing is not only starting programs from scratch and watching them grow but also starting people from scratch,” Bohannon said. “That’s what was really exciting about finally getting my opportunity here is getting a chance to program how I want to program. … I’ve always gotten to be able to do that with my players. And now I get to do that with my own program with my own club.”

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

BIRD OF THE WEEK A closer look at the feathered friends with which we share Longboat.

American and fish crows

Miri Hardy

Crows are omnivores and will eat almost anything.

F

ound across most of North America, American crows are permanent Florida residents.

They are entirely black, with a thick bill, and their distinct call is a loud and often repeated: Caw! Fish crows, the other crow species in Florida, are endemic to the U.S. Slightly smaller than American crows, their call is more nasal, and, as indicated by their name, fish crows are typically found near water. But to many, the two species are indistinguishable.

By varying their calls, crows communicate messages — such as warning, threat, taunting and cheer — to other crows. These calls are so specific that other animals will take heed of crow warning signals.

Although many animals can recognize human faces, crows impress with the longevity of their memories of specific individuals and their ability to pass

SCHOOL ENDS. HUNGER BEGINS. Due to COVID-19, even more children in our community are at risk of summer hunger. You can help us keep them full until fall.

on information about threatening humans.

Crows will scold and mob a person who threatened them, years after the event. Crows are also known to leave trinkets for humans who helped them.

Crows are omnivores, which means they will eat most anything. Fish crows will prey on nests and chicks of shore-nesting birds. By packing out trash and not feeding birds, we can discourage crows from congregating in sensitive nesting areas. This will protect both our shore-nesting birds and the crows from harm.

— MIRI HARDY, SAVE OUR SEABIRDS

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.

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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 NEWLISTING

NEWLISTING

LONGBOAT KEY PRE-CONSTRUCTION $3,995,000 LONGBOAT PRESERVE $1,695,000 Unique opportunity to purchase a waterfront dream home on an extremely private estate-sized 3BD/3.5BA home in the exclusive new enclave of 12 new construction, light filled & luxurious lot. 5BR, 5.5BA home,4,400 SF. Pool w/spa. Deep water dock. coastal contemporary homes in the Preserve of Longboat Key.

PENDING

LONGBOAT KEY EXQUISITE BAYFRONT ESTATE $7,800,000 Casually elegant behind private gates. Stunning features & panoramic views. One of the finest properties on Florida’s west coast! 75’ heated pool on 600’ of frontage deep bay water w/3 boat slips, guest house & 8 car garage.

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.

LONGBOAT KEY 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. Cross street to beautiful Gulf beach.

LONGBOAT KEY BAYFRONT $2,295,000 Amazing opportunity to build your Bayfront dream home on north Longboat Key. Great location. Only minutes from the open water.

LBK PRIVATE GULFFRONT ESTATE $4,995,000 4BR/5BA. Magnificent 4BR/5BA w/ private walk to gorgeous Gulf beach. Dramatic views from multiple porches. 4 car garage.

Walking distance to shops. AMAZING VALUE!

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.

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HOLMES BEACH GULF FRONT $1,250,000 Island Paradise 2/2 beachfront penthouse available in this six unit complex with great rental opportunities directly on the Gulf.

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

“Back in Indiana, our houses are like a mile away from one another. We don’t have to have long conversations. We just seem to understand each other.”

— Julie McGue, author of “Twice a Daughter”

DIGITAL PROGRAM 6

ASHTON & THARP 21 - 25 MAY

McGue FROM PAGE 1B

third and fourth cousins.

“When I would match with somebody, they’d say, ‘Well, what are your family names?’” McGue said. “And I’d say: ‘I’m adopted.

I don’t know.’ That’s the travesty that adoptees from closed adoption have: We don’t have anything, and it’s super frustrating to us.”

Eventually, McGue found the right documents, her birth mother, the all-important family medical history and the reason that the not-so-athletically proficient McGue and husband produced three collegiate athletes.

That led to finding her birth father and discovering that she had other biological siblings.

After five years of looking for members of her biological family, she and her twin discovered that their brother had married the girl next door.

“We just have not stopped laughing since,” McGue said. “I mean, it is such a ridiculous turn of events.”

So ridiculous, and so seemingly ripped from a novel, that McGue decided to write a book about her experience. She’d been keeping journals the whole time under the guidance of her mother-in-law, who taught a course in

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reminiscence writing. After some more writing courses, McGue set her pen to paper with intention in 2016.

“The hard part was putting enough emotional distance between living the story and writing the story,” McGue said. “There was so much disappointment and loss and rejection and acceptance and forgiveness to work through that it took me awhile to be able to write the story in the way it needed to be told.

So rather than an angry adoptee story, it’s a story of healing and becoming content with your identity.”

She wrote most of the book from her Longboat Key home, busting writer’s block with walks on the beach or at St. Armands Circle. She found an editor before the pandemic, and after the usual gauntlet of revisions and edits, the book went off to She Writes Press.

About 11 years after it started, the final version of McGue’s journey to becoming a daughter twice over was published May 11.

Locally, “Twice a Daughter” can be found at Bookstore1 on 12 S. Palm Ave. in Sarasota, as well as online at Amazon and on Audible.

“I think that the adoption experience has definitely gotten cleaned up over time, but we’re still struggling,” McGue said.

“People my age, to try and figure out our background, it’s puzzling.”

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive #804 $3,750,000 Rarely available, phenomenal floor plan with SUNSET and SUNRISE views. 3 bedrooms plus den or 4 bedrooms. No need to remodel this residence, ready for instant enjoyment. 2 pets allowed, no weight limit. www.TheBeachResidences804.com | MLS A4493203

RITZ-CARLTON MANAGED THE BEACH RESIDENCES

1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive #606 $2,675,000 3 bedroom or 2 master bedrooms en-suite plus a den. This residence is custom-designed with elegant details. Features and displays stunning views of both the Gulf of Mexico and twinkling lights in Sarasota. www.TheBeachResidences606.com MLS A4445110

1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive #308 $2,700,000 Furnished WOW! Two-bedrooms 2256 sq. ft. The perfect beach retreat! “Walk down” your private stairs to pool, spa, fire-pit, or the BBQ — Spectacular open floorplan with expansive views. Very intimate feel, much like that of a single-family home, you even have your enclosed 2-car garage! Travertine floors in the main living areas; neutral, clean palette; generous gourmet kitchen with gas cooktop and massive 1100 sq. ft. terrace. www.TheBeachResidences308.com | MLS A4497402

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

Judy Kepecz-Hays

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Steven Kepecz

Over $125 Million SOLD in 2020 Over $80 Million CLOSED/SOLD Year-To-Date in 2021

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941.587.1700

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

FRIDAY, MAY 21

YOGA IN THE MEDITATION GARDEN 10:30 a.m. in the Meditation Garden at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, 40 N. Adams Drive. Join Nina Vannucci for a 30-minute beginner yoga session. Bring a yoga mat and water bottle. Email nina@SAKLC. com to register.

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. Class is outdoors and 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. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Held outdoors with social distancing and led by Hawaii native Debbie White. Free for members; $10 per person.

Walk-ins welcome. For information, call 383-6493.

THINKING OUT LOUD: TIMELY TOPICS WITH MIKE KARP 1-2:30 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road.

Topics include domestic and world current affairs, popular culture and other topics. Held outdoors, weather permitting.

Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome.

For information, call 383-6493.

MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY

PUMPING THE PRIME WITH MIRABAI HOLLAND 10 a.m. Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive. $10 for members; $15 for nonmembers. Sign up at FabulousForever.com.

Email Mirabai@MovingFree.com, or call 201-9561466.

TUESDAYS

DON’T MISS FRIDAY, MAY 14

HAPPY HOUR BOARDS AND BUBBLES WORKSHOP At 3:30 p.m. Driftwood Beach Home and Garden, 6838 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Demonstration of happy hour boards, craft cocktails and mocktails for outdoor entertaining. $55 a person. Call 960-0568.

QI GONG 10-11 a.m. outdoors at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road.

This mind-body-spirit practice improves mental and physical health. Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

MAHJONG 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 indoors. RSVP to check availability and/or be put on a wait list: MaryAnnBrady@TheParadiseCenter.org or 383-6493.

WEDNESDAYS

TAI CHI 10-11 a.m. outdoors at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome. For information, call 383-6493.

MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY

LORD’S WAREHOUSE 9 a.m. until noon. Proceeds go to charity; donations are welcome. Indoor and outdoor shopping available with a limit of five customers at a time inside. Masks are required. Visit LongboatIslandChapel.org for information.

THURSDAYS

ZUMBA AND MAT PILATES FOR SENIORS 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road.

Designed for active seniors, class 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 1-3 p.m. from the Longboat Key Education Center. Zoom only.

Four sessions. Members $100; nonmembers $110. For information, 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.

Class is outdoors. Walk-ins welcome. Cost is $10 for nonmembers, free for members.

Walk-ins welcome. For information call 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.

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

ANNA MARIA ISLAND 607, 609, 611 Fern Streets & 610 Rose Street 1,568 Sq. Ft. Hannah Hillyard & George Myers 941-744-7358 A4497933 $5,900,000

LONGBOAT KEY 5382 Sandhamn Place 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,330 Sq. Ft. Maria Beck PA & Jalina Beck 646-531-4118 A4496985 $2,950,000

BRADENTON 2708 Bay Drive 4 Beds 4 Baths 3,689 Sq. Ft. Cheryl Roberts 941-266-1450 A4494263 $2,750,000

LONGBOAT KEY 431 N Shore Road 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 4,641 Sq. Ft. Jodene Moneuse 941-302-4913 A4497877 $2,400,000

BRADENTON 541 Fore Drive 5 Beds 3/1 Baths 4,296 Sq. Ft. Debbie Vogler 941-705-3328 A4496407 $1,750,000

LONGBOAT KEY 651 Broadway Street 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,320 Sq. Ft. Kathy Callahan & JoDene Moneuse 941-900-8088 A4494571 $1,599,000

LIDO KEY 437 Cleveland Drive 2 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,774 Sq. Ft. Judy Nimz 941-374-0196 A4497923 $1,595,000

SARASOTA 3520 Trebor Lane 4 Beds 5 Baths 3,300 Sq. Ft. Ann Martin & Joanna Benante 941-356-7717 A4488570 $1,400,000

SARASOTA 1711 Baywood Way 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,358 Sq. Ft. Jami Kellogg 941-809-6931 A4488310 $1,200,000

VENICE 13362 Verandi Street 4 Beds 4 Baths 3,697 Sq. Ft. Amy Tupper 941-413-6898 A4499477 $799,000

SARASOTA 707 S Gulfstream Avenue 205 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,320 Sq. Ft. Marci Mcfarland 941-961-3390 A4488641 $795,000

SARASOTA 1750 Benjamin Franklin Drive 8G 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,403 Sq. Ft. Jill Berg 941-315-1199 A4497670 $750,000

SARASOTA 800 N Tamiami Trail 803 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,323 Sq. Ft. Pam Sweeney & Maureen Doherty 941-266-9622 A4497932 $675,000

LONGBOAT KEY 250 Sands Point Road 5104 1 Bed 1 Baths 634 Sq. Ft. The Walter Group 941-232-2000 A4496014 $649,000

LONGBOAT KEY 580 Companion Way 2 Beds 3 Baths 1,792 Sq. Ft. Adrienne Scott & Bill Anderson 941-264-5266 A4498694 $609,000

SARASOTA 2557 Ringling Boulevard 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,445 Sq. Ft. Matthew Voss 941-237-0877 A4497940 $590,000

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

PALMETTO 615 Riviera Dunes Way 205 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,696 Sq. Ft. Cheryl Roberts 941-266-1450 A4497161 $429,000

SARASOTA 4274 Riverwood Avenue 3 Beds 3 Baths 1,774 Sq. Ft. Patrick Doherty & Maureen Doherty 941-993-3160 A4499452 $399,000

LONGBOAT KEY 668 Spanish Drive N 157 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,393 Sq. Ft. Cathy Meldahl 941-724-7228 A4496279 $365,000

SARASOTA 33 S Gulfstream Avenue 803 1 Bed 1 Baths 820 Sq. Ft. Joseph McDonald 941-375-9646 A4496871 $344,000

NOKOMIS/NORTH VENICE 506 Palm Avenue 2 Beds 1 Baths 1,011 Sq. Ft. Sarah McGuire 941-809-1478 A4499142 $329,900

LONGBOAT KEY 729 Saint Judes Drive S 2 2 Beds 2 Baths 840 Sq. Ft. Cathy Meldahl 941-724-7228 A4488291 $319,000

SARASOTA 435 Eagles Nest Lane 4 Beds 2 Baths 1,972 Sq. Ft. Michael Yawitz 941-587-8091 A4496950 $290,000

SARASOTA 449 Golden Gate Point B 1 Bed 1 Bath 728 Sq. Ft. Dede Curran 941-928-3255 A4490616 $285,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 6342 Grand Oak Circle 204 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,346 Sq. Ft. Terri Riordan 941-441-6644 A4499421 $259,900

LONGBOAT KEY 571 Saint Judes Drive 8 1 Bath 391 Sq. Ft. Barbara Dumbaugh & Victoria Lear 941-951-6660 A4480695 $205,000

LONGBOAT KEY 2800 Harbourside Drive F-01 Bernadette Caswell 941-320-8265 A4493749 $145,000

BRADENTON 5896 Easy Street L27 2 Beds 2 Baths 862 Sq. Ft. Kathy Marshall 941-900-9777 A4498685 $110,000

LIDO KEY 1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive 1208 3 Beds 4/1 Baths 5,254 Sq. Ft. Susan Fox & Jonathan Fox, PA 941-544-6648 A4492990 $3,900,000

LONGBOAT KEY 531 Harbor Cay Drive 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 4,396 Sq. Ft. Maureen Horn 941-539-3384 A4494952 $3,800,000

SARASOTA The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Residences, 1001/1003 3 Beds 4/2 Baths 4,640 Sq. Ft. Beth Afflebach & Joan Dickinson 941-737-1756 A4471072 $3,700,000

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM 357377-1

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RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

APRIL 26-30

at 5870 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Stephen and Dawn Budorick, of Ellicott City, Maryland, for $1.6 million. Built in 1956, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,075 square feet of living area. It sold for $1 million in 2008.

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

A

condo in Vizcaya at Longboat Key tops all transactions this week.

John and Mary Ann Meyer, trustees, sold Unit 1C4 at 2333 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Francis and Theresa Buzan, of Longboat Key, for $3.9 million. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, three-anda-half baths and 3,540 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.63 million in 1997.

BIRD KEY

Unruh Bird Key Florida Investments LLC sold the home at 224 Bird Key Drive to Birdie 224 LLC for $3.38 million. Built in 1961, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,999 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.7 million in January.

Marcel Lignon and Marcel Lignon, trustee, of Barthelemy, France, sold the home at 395 Bobwhite Drive to Joseph and Michelle Minneman, of Tipp City, Ohio, for $2.15 million.

Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,622 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.44 million in 2015.

THE BEACH RESIDENCES

Robert and Julie Grabill, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, sold their Unit 708 condominium at 1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Sarasota Realty Trust LLC for $2.3

THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

11B

REAL ESTATE

Vizcaya condominium sells for $3.9 million

|

QUEENS HARBOUR

Siu Lai Tse and Gideon Cosme Valenzuela, trustees, sold the home at 3529 Fair Oaks Lane to Miktombri LLC for $1.6 million.

Built in 1997, it has five bedrooms, five-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,373 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.26 million in 2019.

BAY ISLES Courtesy photo

Vizcaya was built in 1997. Unit 1C4 has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 3,540 square feet of living area.

million. Built in 2005, it has two bedrooms, three baths and 3,330 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.52 million in 2005.

Cathy Lynn Convery, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 304 condominium at 1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Anthony Rendina, of West Chicago, for $1.38 million. Built in 2005, it has one bedroom, two baths and 1,864 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.25 million in 2020.

ORCHID BEACH CLUB RESIDENCES

Benatar Retreat LLC sold the Unit A402 condominium at 2050 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Thomas and Judith Ann Burkholder, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, for $2.15 million. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 3,242 square feet of living area.

THE PIERRE

Patrick and Isabelle Cramer sold their Unit 701 condominium at 455 Longboat Club Road to Christopher and Katharine O’Connell, of Longboat Key, for $1.7 million. Built in 1990, it has three bedrooms, three-and-ahalf baths and 2,780 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.1 million in 2008.

LONGBOAT KEY

Timothy and Lynn English, of Alma, Arkansas, sold their home

James Dempsey, trustee, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, sold their 3271 Bayou Sound home to Mark and Rebecca Collins, of Wilmington, Delaware, for $1.53 million. Built in 1981, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,315 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.03 million in 2013.

Howard and Rhonda Royer, of Longboat Key, sold their home at 3540 Bayou Circle to Timothy and Lyn English, of Longboat Key, for $1.2 million. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,758 square feet of living area. It sold for $465,000 in 1989.

SEE REAL ESTATE, PAGE 12B

In with the new SALES GALLERY OPEN

Longboat Key

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

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

MOVE-IN READY

L O N G B OAT K E Y ADDRESS 5881 GMD

PERMIT Renovate existing

APPLICANT LB Key LLC

single family residence

1690 Harbor Sound Drive

Replacement

single family

690 Russell St.

Replacement

single family

4825 GMD

Concrete repair

AMOUNT $1.82 million

Donald J. Stuart

$1.53 million

Kevin Slachciak

$615,000

Westchester Condo

$397,000

1485 GMD #104

Interior alterations IS and KE Wardman

$383,200

1145 GMD #305

Interior alterations Douglas J. Nolan

$205,285

1125 GMD #305

Interior alterations David J. Lehman

$167,690

1935 GMD #407

Interior alterations David Horne

$164,800

2109 GMD #1101

Demolition work

David Trocker

$130,996

561 Harbor Cove Circle

Pool and water

Michael D. Taylor

Risdon on 5th | 941.365.1414 | From the mid $500,000s | RisdonOn5th.com

NOW SELLING NEW PHASE

Northwest Bradenton

$94,556

feature 435 L’Ambiance Drive #G401 Interior alterations Deborah Ware

Downtown Sarasota

$91,213

4138 GMD

Interior alterations Rosemary Parsons

$75,000

650 Longview Drive

Windows and doors Francis Patrick White

$66,605

7025 Longboat Drive N.

Seawall

Eddie Abrams

$65,159

3960 Royal Road

Pool and spa

Abelardo E. Bru

$60,740

840 Tarawitt Drive

Seawall

Joseph C. Dominguez

$57,000

1101 Bogey Lane

Seawall

Wesley Walraven

$52,504

3341 Bayou Sound

Prep for elevator

Howard Tessler

4430 Exeter Drive Unit 301

Interior alterations Owen Jenkins

$47,430 $43,109

Source: Town of Longboat Key

Palma Sola Bay Club | 941.216.7436 | From the high $400,000s | PalmaSolaBayClub.com

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

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

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

357299-1

Licensed Real Estate Broker

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

|

Real estate FROM PAGE 11B

GRAND BAY

Patricia Carney and Jennifer MacDonald, trustees, of Lexington, Massachusetts, sold the Unit 231 condominium at 3040 Grand Bay Blvd. to Kathryn and Steven Gold, trustees, of Longboat Key, for $1.5 million. Built in 1996, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,781 square feet of living area.

LONGBOAT COVE

Charles and Jean Gorham, trustees, of Longboat Key, sold the Unit 210 condominium at 5481 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Katherine Ann Liggett, of Fenton, Michigan, for $1.3 million. Built in 1980, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,721 square feet of living area. It sold for $967,500 in 2016.

LONGBOAT KEY YACHT AND TENNIS CLUB

Joseph and Julie Marshall, of Dallas, sold their Unit 101 condominium at 4215 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Andrew and Christine Burke, of Barrington, Illinois, for $1.28 million. Built in 1974, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,542 square feet of living area. It sold for $920,000 in 2020.

DREAM ISLAND

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

Susan Harris, trustee, of Hingham, Massachusetts, sold the home at 700 Dream Island Road to Neal and Jennifer Horne, of Longboat Key, for $1.1 million.

Built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,755 square feet of living area. It sold for $285,000 in 1998.

James and O’Brien White, of Longboat Key, sold their Unit 806 condominium at 1211 Gulf of Mexico Drive to 1546 Knollwood LLC for $1.1 million. Built in 1985, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,598 square feet of living area. It sold for $900,000 in 2015.

Philip and Kenda Smith, of Grand Blanc, Michigan, sold their Unit AA-1 condominium at 4234 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Marilynn Callan, of Charlevoix, Michigan, for $504,000. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,150 square feet of living area. It sold for $154,900 in 2016.

THE PLAYERS CLUB

TANGERINE BAY CLUB

PROMENADE

M. Susan Weitendorf, of Sarasota, sold her Unit 106 condominium at 1425 Gulf of Mexico Drive to John McKeon, of Key Largo, for $1.08 million. Built in 1983, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,758 square feet of living area. It sold for $820,000 in 2008.

Charles Edward DeRose, trustee, of Longboat Key, sold the Unit 422 condominium at 370 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Mary Sullivan Schultz, trustee, of Cincinnati, for $1 million. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,255 square feet of living area. It sold for $800,000 in 2014.

Vitali and Tina Yachmenev, of Ontario, sold their Unit 104 condominium at 1485 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Iain and Kathryn Wardman, of Warwickshire, England, for $899,000. Built in 1981, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,774 square feet of living area. It sold for $825,000 in 2004.

TIFFANY PLAZA

SLEEPY LAGOON PARK

SEA GATE CLUB

David and Carol Hendrix, of Brandon, sold their home at 660 Penfield St. to Michael Stephen Heath and Alison Wendy Heath, of Bradenton Beach, for $1.05 million. Built in 1979, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,337 square feet of living area. It sold for $665,000 in 2013.

PELICAN HARBOUR AND BEACH CLUB

Patricia Grandcolas, of Ballwin, Missouri, sold the Unit 401 condominium at 4241 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Petersen Ventures LLC for $1.03 million. Built in 1980, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,660 square feet of living area. It sold for $210,000 in 1985.

Katherine Ann Liggett, of Fenton, Michigan, sold her Unit 405 condominium at 4325 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Joseph and Julie Marshall, of Dallas, for $1 million. Built in 1975, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,336 square feet of living area. It sold for $585,000 in 2018.

Tai Hwan Chang and Lina Chang, of Glen Cove, New York, sold their Unit 5-E condominium at to Randall Pattee and Valerie Ruttenberg, of Minnetonka, Minnesota, for $935,000. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,470 square feet of living area. It sold for $580,000 in 2002.

SEAPLACE

Double D Hold Co. sold the Unit M1-508-J condominium at 2045 Gulf of Mexico Drive to John Howey, trustee, of Trenton, Michigan, for $925,000. Built in 1974, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,532 square feet of living area. It sold for $504,600 in 2011.

LIDO HARBOUR SOUTH

Michael Downs and Carla Hunter Downs, of Johns Creek, Georgia, sold their Unit 503 condominium at 2110 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Zachary Katz, of Westport, Connecticut, for $860,000. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,248 square feet of living area. It sold for $580,000 in 2017.

FAIRWAY BAY

Tomas Agnar Tomasson, of Gardabaer, Iceland, sold his Unit 647 condominium at 2120 Harbourside Drive to Marcus and Leslie Chandler, of Indianapolis, for $850,000. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,039 square feet of living area. It sold for $583,000 in 2001.

Luxury Bay Vistas LLC sold the Unit 124 condominium at 1930 Harbourside Drive to Thomas and Suzanne Nickelson, of Avalon, New Jersey, for $432,000.

Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,192 square feet of living area. It sold for $305,000 in 2014.

BEACHES OF LONGBOAT KEY SOUTH

Bernice Thomas, trustee, sold the Unit 804 condominium at 775 Longboat Club Road to Shawn and Leslie Sheridan, of Longboat Key, for $825,000.

Built in 1984, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,602 square feet of living area. It sold for $340,000 in 1990.

James Tillman, trustee, of Ozark, Missouri, sold the Unit 704 condominium at 1050 Longboat Club Road to Mark Rayner Johnson and Michelle Katherine Johnson, of Hudson, Wisconsin, for $806,000. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and

5000 REBATE

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501Halyard Halyard Lane Lane 1212501 Westway Drive | Lido Shores 2,340 | A4448464 | $1,995,000 2,340 SFSF| A4448464 | $1,995,000 A4482176 | 4,627sf | 5BR | $3,800,000

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354819-1

LD SO

The home at 5055 Gulf of Mexico Drive sold for $960,000 in 2004.

The Observer incorrectly reported the previous sale in the May 6 edition.

Living and Working on Longboat Key for 40 Years Cathy C. Meldahl, P.A. Your Longboat Key Community Realtor

UNRIVALED UNRIVALED

845Longboat Longboat Club RoadCourt Club Road 845845 Longboat Club Road | Regent 19,300 | A4440615 | $19,750,000 19,300 SFSF| A4440615 $19,750,000 A4440615 | 19,300SF | 140’ on| the Gulf | $16,500,000

CORRECTION

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Carol Ann O’Brien, of Sarasota, sold her home at 691 Russell St. to Philip and Ashley Sargente, of Longboat Key, for $768,000.

Built in 1972, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,857 square feet of living area. It sold for $550,000 in 2004.

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Edward and Mary Rossi, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 2 condominium at 945 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Arthur Wineburg and Susan Tucker Brown, of Sarasota, for $780,000. Built in 1989, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,518 square feet of living area. It sold for $470,000 in 2013.

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Nancy Wheeler, trustee, of Racine, Wisconsin, sold the Unit 901 condominium at 1050 Longboat Club Road to Tower Grove Center for $790,000. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,409 square feet of living area. It sold for $195,000 in 2011.

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12B

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

FORECAST

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

High: 82 Low: 67 Chance of rain: 20%

SATURDAY, MAY 15 High: 85 Low: 69 Chance of rain: 5%

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, May 13

6:42a 8:11p

Friday, May 14

6:42a

8:11p

Saturday, May 15

6:41a

8:12p

Sunday, May 16

6:41a

8:12p

Monday, May 17

6:40a

8:13p

Tuesday, May 18

6:40a

8:14p

Wednesday, May 19

6:39a

8:14p

MOON PHASES

SUNDAY, MAY 16 High: 87 Low: 70 Chance of rain: 18%

June 2 Last

TIDES

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

13B

THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

SUNRISE / SUNSET

FRIDAY, MAY 14

Susan Batchelor captured these terns at dusk on Longboat Key.

|

June 10 New

June 17 First

Highs

June 24 Full

Lows

Thursday, May 13

3:02a 12:36p

6:49a 9:12p

Friday, May 14

3:52a 1:07p

7:01a 9:54p

Saturday, May 15

4:57a 1:42p

7:10a

10:41p

Sunday, May 16

—

2:24p

—

11:35p

Monday, May 17

—

3:14p

—

—

Tuesday, May 18

—

4:16p

12:33a

—

5:39p Wednesday, May 19 9:04a

1:31a

12:23p

MANASOTA FLOORING INC 941.355.8437 | Bradenton

CROSSWORD

©2021 Universal Uclick

ACROSS 1 Mac alternatives 4 Seattle Storm, e.g.

8 Parody 13 Some CEOs’ degs.

17 Crow’s noise 18 Plummets 19 Broadway star McDonald 20 Pixar robot 21 *Get food ready for one’s H.S. equivalency exam?

24 Pueblo material 25 Martin the Gecko’s company 26 Leg day units 27 Scattered 29 Pancake eaten for din-

941.748.4679 | Venice

941.493.7441 | www.manasotaonline.com

36 Brady’s former bunch, informally 37 Common NASCAR sponsor 40 ___ v. Wade 41 See 60-Across 43 “Look before you leap,” e.g.

44 Headquartered (in) 46 Toxins 50 Billabong competitor 52 Get ready, informally 54 Computer whizzes 55 Lil ___ X 57 *What a sleepy H.S. senior might take?

59 Indeed.com or Monster 62 Lion’s pride?

63 Vulgar people 64 Bollywood’s home 65 Bawl 67 Large water pipes 68 Harvesting tools 71 Art on a temple, perhaps?

DOWN 74 ___ lightly (be cautious) 1 Main MD 78 Phonies 2 I Spy and 20 Questions 79 Scorekeepers’ marks 3 Honeybunch 81 Squid liquid 4 Stuffed shell?

83 Nwodim who portrays 5 Yellowstone herd Dionne Warwick on “SNL” 6 Selma’s state (Abbr.)

86 Suffix with “senior” 7 NYC arena 88 Free version of a fun app 8 Like begging puppies 89 Makes a scapegoat for 9 Gas dispensers 90 Spork point 10 Poetic tributes 93 Reign over 11 “... ___ lack thereof” 94 Smooch that preserves 12 Certain contractions lipstick note?

75 Acorn, for one 13 Coped 95 Really bothers 53 Child in a certain 76 Thor’s dad 14 *Flunking a coll.-level 98 Doll with a 2021 model blended family 77 Player of a low string studio class? that has vitiligo 56 Hoppy brews, briefly instrument 15 “The Sandbox” playwright 101 Scintilla 57 Marcie’s nickname for 80 “Hear ye!” shouter Edward 102 Rachel Maddow’s Peppermint Patty 82 Lather, ___, repeat 16 Early bloomers? network 58 Sixers legend 84 Goatee’s spot 18 iPhone-unlocking option 103 Upscale Honda 60 Greek letter that rhymes 85 Singer whose fans are 20 Peace’s counterpart 105 Ashen with 41-Down called Claymates 22 Coming down the ___ 108 “Have a Good Trip” drug 61 Rush around wildly 87 Some PrideFest letters 23 They clear whiteboards 109 Sagacious 63 Articles’ slants 91 Deplete 28 Powdery mineral 110 Chemistry particle 66 *Toast for aspiring docs? 92 *M.A. hopeful’s test, 29 Actress Bonet 113 The ___ (Boston nick69 Like some cows and when taken on a Utah body 30 Toasted breakfast treat name) vows of water’s shore?

114 First punch in a one-two 31 Climbing gear that a 70 Dealing with 96 Tony winner Stroker 115 Mystery in the sky, briefly boulderer eschews 72 Outburst from Scrooge 97 Personal website section 32 College party drinks 116 “Hamilton” star Phillipa 73 Lower your seat?

99 “That wasn’t true” 35 Pumpkin, for one 117 ___ poke (soccer kick)

STUDY BREAKS by Amanda Rafkin and Ross Trudeau; Edited by David Steinberg

ner, maybe 30 Uses mala beads 32 Arthur of “Maude” 33 Goes kaput 34 Louvre Pyramid architect 35 Duck, duck, ___ 36 Betrays at recess 38 “Nothing to ___ here!”

39 *Removed a score from one’s college app?

42 “Gift” for talking 45 “By yesterday!”

47 External 48 Dill, e.g.

49 “The Devil Wears ___” 51 What may end on a high

100 “Shucks!”

102 Goya’s “The Naked ___” 104 Lead-in to “Vegas” 105 Goody Two-shoes 106 Feature of this crossword 107 Wanda Maximoff, aka the ___ Witch 109 Have an eye-opening experience?

110 Stage remark 111 Deadens 112 “We’re only practicing,” and a hint to reading each starred answer 118 Plait 119 Ejects 120 “The game is ___!”

121 (Ow! My udder!)

122 Detective’s assignment 123 Follows orders 124 Prosperous period 125 Number of partners for a monogamist

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.

“UJUDNHWSN KRI ZKUXD WLC IZWDN -- XZ’I LKW NWY RDU. XA X LRIC’Z AXJU-AWWZ, X LWYBSC’Z HU LKW X RT.” IRHDXCR PRDVUCZUD

“GKN LJLNE GTVXHNL, IRLNL’P TA TXILNATIVJL YKHNPL KG TYIVKA. ...

DRLA EKH YKBL IK T NKTCOXKYM, ITML T CLIKHN.”

BTNE MTE TPR

Puzzle Two Clue: M equals K

Sarasota

Puzzle One Clue P equals C

349218-1

SAVE ON SELECT COLORS & STYLE

© 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

05-13-21

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

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This week’s Crossword answers

CLEAN OUT YOUR GARAGE HERE! CALL 941-955-4888

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers

Puzzle One Solution: “Everybody has their own story -- it’s who you are. If I wasn’t five-foot, I wouldn’t be who I am.”

Sabrina Carpenter Puzzle Two Solution: “For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. ... When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.

Mary Kay Ash

This week’s Sudoku answers

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©2021 NEA, Inc.

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JUST LISTED- Direct Gulf Front- secured building-- nicely laid out one bedroom at Longboat Harbour Towers. Large lanai. Extra storage, open plan.

Low maintenance fees $384.00 per month. Pool, Fitness, onsite management $495,000 Call Michael Nink Broker/Associate 941-914-2805 for easy showing - Another fine Michael Saunders & Co listing.

real estate

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SECUR-ALL INSURANCE AGENCY | 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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356665

Sandra Smith

16B

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021

The #1 Small Team 2020

in Volume for Sarasota & Manatee Counties

The #8 Small Team in North America COLDWELL BANKER REALTY

Be a part of our Success!

Ryan Ackerman (941) 387-1818

Barbara Ackerman (941) 387-1820

www.ackermangroup.net

1 FAMILY • 2 AGENTS • 3 DECADES OF SUCCESS

NEW LISTING! DIRECT BAYFRONT

LONGBOAT KEY

MARINA BAY 2410 Harbourside Dr., #132 3BR/3 Full / 1 Half BA | 3,382 SQFT

SIESTA KEY GULF-FRONT

$1,695,000

SIESTA KEY

CRESCENT BEACH 107 Ocean Place 4BR/5 Full / 1 Half BA | 5,239 SQFT

2 PARKING SPACES

SOUTH SARASOTA

PHILLIPPI COVE 5329 Palos Verdes Drive 3BR/3 Full / 1 Half BA | 2,401 SQFT

PRIVATE WATERFRONT LOCATION

$1,090,000

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$18,000,000

1309 Vista Drive 3BR/4 Full / 2 Half BA | 8,452 SQFT

PRIVATE WATERFRONT LOCATION

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OYSTER BAY ESTATES NEW CONSTRUCTION

$2,595,000

1421 N. Lake Shore Dr. 4BR/4 Full / 2 Half BA | 4,217 SQFT

$4,495,000

MODERN MASTERPIECE - SUMMER OCCUPANCY

DOWNTOWN SARASOTA THE Q

267 Cosmopolitan Court 3BR/3 Full BA | 3,980 SQFT

$1,779,000 PENDING

DESIGNER READY

CALL THE ACKERMAN GROUP 941.387-1820 COLDWELL BANKER REALTY | 443 JOHN RINGLING BLVD., STE., F | SARASOTA, FL 34236 This is not a solicitation of another broker’s listings.

355754-1

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Sarasota Observer Longboat Observer East County Observer Siesta Key Observer

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*Source: Verified Audit Circulation Annual Audit ending March 31, 2020. **Source: Alliance for Audited Media Annual Audit ending Dec. 31, 2019, does not include Venice and North Port in Sarasota or Charlotte counties. ***Source: Alliance for Audited Media, 24 months ending Dec. 31, 2019.

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New Location beginning Same great team...

June 1, 2021 Same great coverage...

SECUR-ALL INSURANCE AGENCY

Sandra Smith 941.383.3388 CHUBB • AIG • UNIVERSAL • UNITED • SAFECO • PROGRESSIVE • FRONTLINE • VAULT • FLOOD

WE HAVE YOU COVERED!

356785-1

510 BAY ISLES ROAD, SUITE 1 • LONGBOAT KEY, FL 1 DUPONT STREET, STE. 209 • PLAINVIEW, NY

SECUR-ALL INSURANCE AGENCY SECUR-ALL INSURANCE AGENCY 941-383-3388 941-383-3388 From Long Island to Longboat Key From Long Island to Longboat Key Insuring families since 1963 Insuring families since 1963

Family owned, we are a full service agency with the markets and experience needed to handle your specific Family owned, we are a full service agency with the markets and experience needed to handle your specific insurance needs. insurance needs.

If you are looking for a complete insurance solution, we are your best choice.

If you are looking for a complete insurance solution, we are your best choice.

HOME, CONDO, AUTO, WATERCRAFT, UMBRELLA, FLOOD, EXCESS FLOOD, BUILDERS RISK, SMALL BUSINESS HOME, CONDO, CONDO,AUTO, AUTO,WATERCRAFT, WATERCRAFT,UMBRELLA, UMBRELLA, FLOOD, EXCESS FLOOD, BUILDERS HOME, FLOOD, EXCESS FLOOD, BUILDERS RISK,RISK, SMALL BUSINESS AND CONDO ASSOCIATIONS SMALL BUSINESS AND CONDO ASSOCIATIONS AND CONDO ASSOCIATIONS Here’s what some of our customers are saying about us: Here’s what some of our customers are saying about us: “Sandra Smith* and the staff at Secur-All are there to help people manage the risks of everyday life.

“Sandra Smith* and staff Secur-All there to help manage the risks of everyday They have helped methe with myat ocean frontare NJ home and mypeople LBK condo.

Sandra is there with you life. every step of the way!“ They have helped me with my ocean front NJ home and my LBK condo.

Sandra is there with you every step of the way!“ Lynn Walters Lynn Walters “When I moved to Longboat Key in 2014 it was my 15th move as an adult and 20th in total. I have lived in 3 countries and “When Key in about 2014 itmoving was myis15th movetoasfind an new adultfriends, and 20th in doctors total. I have lived in 3 countries and 8 states.I moved One of to theLongboat hardest things the need new and professionals and new 8 states.

One of the hardest things about moving is the need to find new friends, new doctors and professionals and new business people who will be trusted advisors. I lucked out seeing the Secur-all sign, walked in, met Sandra Smith and her business people be trusted I lucked out seeing the Secur-all sign, walked in, met Sandra Smith and her team; which waswho the will beginning of a advisors. great relationship. team; which was the beginning of a great relationship.

Of all the places I have lived Sandra is the most professional and best provider of all my insurance needs. She and her Of all are the always places Iworking have lived is the mostThey professional best providerbig of and all my insurance needs.say Shecall and her team forSandra their customers. take careand of EVERYTHING small.

They never your team are always working for their customers.

They take care of EVERYTHING big and small.

They never say call your insurance carrier, they say we will call them and call you back. They ALWAYS have your back and everything they do insurance carrier, we will call themthem and in callmy you back. They ALWAYS benefits you.

I am they reallysay fortunate to have corner.”

Judith Bersonhave your back and everything they do benefits you. I am really fortunate to have them in my corner.” Judith Berson “After meeting Sandra Smith almost 2 years ago, I started referring her and her services to my customers who were “After meeting Sandra Smith almost 2 years I started insurance referring her and Sandra her services to my customers were needing a reliable, trustworthy, efficient, andago, competitive agent. has outperformed my who expectations needing reliable, trustworthy, and competitive insurance Sandra has outperformed myknowledge expectations each andaevery time.

Feedback,efficient, I consistently hear, are attention to agent. detail, accessibility, responsiveness, of each and every time.

Feedback, I consistently hear, are attention to detail, accessibility, responsiveness, knowledge the market and an overall can-do attitude. In my business of luxury real estate, building trusted relationships with of the market and an overall can-do attitude. In my business of luxury real estate, building trusted relationships with likeminded professionals like Sandra is not just a convenience but a necessity. Sandra has earned my trust and I will likeminded likeknowing Sandra isthat notshe justprovides a convenience butlevel a necessity. earnedbymy trust and IFive will stars continue to professionals recommend her the same of serviceSandra that ishas expected customers. continue recommend her Polese knowing that she provides the same level of service that is expected by customers. Five stars each and to every time.” Rich - REALTOR® Fine Properties Sarasota each and every time.” Rich Polese - REALTOR® Fine Properties Sarasota

*Sandra Smith, Branch Manager/Broker has lived on Longboat Key Since 1996 and knows the island where you live and *Sandra Smith, Branch Manager/Broker has lived on Longboat Key Since 1996 and knows the island where you live and has the coastal markets for hard to place risks. has the coastal markets for hard to place risks.