The Kiwanis of Longboat Key, which always looks for ways to help children, donated $300 for a summer school supply drive aimed at giving to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee and Sarasota Counties.
Lina Whyte, 16, lieutenant governor of the Manatee High Key Club, spoke to the Kiwanis at its monthly breakfast on June 12. Whyte is in the process of collecting items such as activity books, pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons and other supplies.
The collection runs from now until June 24. Those interesting in helping Whyte and the drive can contact her at 941-8075535 or email at 2526Division17@FloridaKeyClub.org.
Turtle Watch sends kids to Mote camps
Longboat Key Turtle Watch’s tradition of sending elementary school kids to summer camps at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium lives on.
This year, Anna Maria Elementary staff members chose third grader Lydda Dorton and second grader Jordan Pavina for the Orville Clayton Scholarship. With the scholarship, the two campers will get the opportunity to spend a week at one of Mote’s summer camps. The Turtle Watch has continued this tradition since 2005 in honor of two long-time Turtle Watch volunteers — Lucinda Hathaway and Orville Clayton. The organization sends one to four children to summer camp every year.
THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2025
Residents riled over boaters making too much noise on Jewfish Key. SEE PAGE 6
Party on, but do it quietly
Michael Harris
Lina Whyte, 16, talks to the Kiwanis of Longboat Key about raising money and school supply donations.
Courtesy image
Lydda Dorton (left) and Jordan Pavina
Carlin Gillen
Mote Marine’s PR coordinator, Kathryn Gentile, poses with her scuba gear and trash she collected from her dive.
OF JUNE 19, 2025
BY THE NUMBERS
“I am amazed that traffic has flown this smoothly.”
Commissioner-At-Large BJ Bishop on the progress of the Country Club Shores turn-lane project Read more on page 5
Siesta Beach continues to garner attention by travel publications as among the best beaches in the world.
Travel + Leisure has included the beach on its list of the “World’s 50 Best Beaches” in the process ranking it the best beach in the U.S. At No. 42, Siesta is keeping company with such notable shorelines as Cala Goloritze in Italy, which topped the list, Greece’s Fteri Beach at No. 4, Grace Bay at Turks & Caicos at No. 10 and Seven Mile Beach on Grand
Cayman at No. 23, to name a few.
Each year, Travel + Leisure compiles the list by tapping the expertise of thousands of travel experts. The selections are further whittled according to a set of parameters, including categories such as “Easy to Enter,” “Often Calm Water,” “Not Too Crowded” and “Frequently Idyllic.” The evaluation of the data resulted in Siesta being the only beach in the U.S. to make the list.
According to the report, “This
Florida destination is known for its soft sand, which consists mainly of pure quartz. Because of its quartz composition, the sand never gets too hot.”
This isn’t the first time this year Siesta Beach is one of the best beaches in the U.S. In February, TripAdvisor named it the No. 1 U.S. beach, and the fourth best beach in the world. Its report also cited the beach’s soft sand, calm waters and quietness, as well as frequent dolphin sightings and dramatic sunsets.
SMH earns national recognition
Sarasota Memorial Hospital has received national recognition for excellence in specialty care, named by Newsweek in its 2025 rankings of America’s Best Hospitals for Specialized Care.
The hospital lists among the best hospitals in the nation across five high-performing specialties, including America’s Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care (No. 158), America’s Best Hospitals for Endocrine Care (No. 171), America’s Best Hospitals for Neurological Care (No. 132), America’s Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Care (No. 200) and America’s Best Hospitals for Pulmonary Care (No. 174).
According to Newsweek, the specialty rankings are based on a comprehensive evaluation of hospital performance, including quality of care, patient outcomes, recommendations from medical professionals and accreditations from national and international health organizations.
“It’s an honor to have our teams recognized for their extraordinary work to provide the best care to our patients and community,” said David Verinder, CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, in a news release.
Local cleanups scheduled for July 5
Keep Sarasota County Beautiful is hosting numerous trash cleanups at local parks and beach access points on July 5. The cleanups are a part of the organization’s “Liberty Litter Cleanup” series.
“Help restore our shared spaces the day after the holiday by volunteering at a location near you,” the cleanup site states.
On Longboat Key, cleanups are scheduled at Overlook Park, Bayfront Park and the Poseidon Beach Access. There are also cleanups near Longboat Key at Siesta Beach, Lido Beach and Ted Sperling Park. All cleanups start at 7:30 a.m. on July 5.
For more information and to sign up for any of the cleanups, go to the Sarasota County website at SCGov. net and search “Keep Sarasota County Beautiful.”
New plan gives regional organization direction to address barrier island traffic.
TRAFFIC RIGHT
CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER
The Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization is advancing the Barrier Island Implementation Plan to identify solutions to the traffic congestion in and around the region’s barrier islands. Representatives from the MPO held a public input session on June 11 to gather input from locals about what they view are the highest priorities in solving the barrier island traffic issues. At the session, eight roadway solutions were presented and available to be voted on.
Of those, the two closest to Longboat Key are the Cortez Road and Gulf Drive intersection and St. Armands Circle.
For the Cortez Road intersection, the implementable solution presented is to evaluate an extension of the right turn lane that often backs up traffic through Bradenton Beach and onto Longboat.
Proposed solutions at St. Armands Circle included a new route to bypass the circle and raised pedestrian crossings to improve safety and slow traffic.
Varshini Renikunta, a multimodal planner with the MPO, was one of the representatives at the June 11 session and said the study is taking a high-level look at the traffic congestion problems on the barrier islands from Anna Maria Island down to Manasota Beach.
“There have been multiple studies that were conducted in the barrier islands. So this study, what it did was it went back to all those studies, it brushed up the recommendations and came up with this list that are more implementable solutions,” Renikunta said.
One of those background studies is the Barrier Islands Traffic Study, which the Florida Department of Transportation launched in 2017 for $675,000. The study wrapped up in 2020 and included over 70 potential solutions within the 900-page study.
TRAFFIC REMEDIES
Roadway Possible Solution
The BITS was a zoomed-out look at traffic congestion on the barrier islands and encompassed solutions spanning from pedestrian fixes to alternate transportation and parking.
In the BITS were recommendations like increasing water transport — which became the Gulf Islands Ferry — and looking into replacements for the Cortez Bridge and Longboat Pass Bridge.
Some of those recommendations progressed, like the water ferry and the Cortez Bridge, which is scheduled to be replaced starting in 2026.
“There is progress of recommendations from (the Barrier Islands Traffic Study),” Renikunta said.
“But this is looking at what we can do next.”
Renikunta said the new implementation plan is not a direct extension of the BITS, but rather a more zoomed-in investigation into the most implementable solutions. This includes short, mid and long-range solutions. Renikunta estimated the implementation plan study cost around $300,000 for the year-long endeavor.
The implementation plan looked at data over 10 years using information obtained from Google Maps and similar services. The data gives organizations like the MPO insights into travel times, predictability and congestion severity.
The data also gives insights into peak season versus nonpeak season, congestion frequency and the difference between weekends versus weekdays.
All of this data allowed the MPO to create a 3-D model of barrier island traffic congestion, which is now available on the Barrier Island Implementation Plan website.
The MPO planners used this data to identify the largest hot spots, then built the eight recommendations around those hot spots.
While none of the eight suggested solutions are on Longboat Key, Renikunta said addressing the hot spots around the barrier islands — like the Cortez Road intersection — would help the larger issue.
Cortez Road & SR 789 Evaluate the right turn lane for extension
St. Armands Circle Provide raised pedestrian crossings; Proposed new route and intersections
SR 64 & Gulf Drive Modify the southbound approach; Extend the eastbound receiving lane beyond the Sixth Avenue intersection
SR 64 & East Bay Drive Create a dedicated westbound right-turn lane to extend from East Bay Street to the existing right turn lane at Gulf Drive
Gulf Drive/Marine Drive Add alternative routes to SR 64/Sixth Avenue
US 41 & Bee Ridge Road Adjust traffic signal timings to allow additional green time; Convert Walgreens driveway to right-in/right-out only access and extend the eastbound left turn lane
Midnight Pass Road Roundabout conversion to include a free-flow & Beach Road right turn bypass lane
Midnight Pass Road Install a traffic signal at Midnight Pass & Old Old Stickney Point Stickney Point roads; restrict access on east leg
“There are still some spots of congestion in Longboat, but we felt these are more doable, more implementable and would solve the higher problem,” Renikunta said.
Also included in the Barrier Island Implementation Plan are policy options that Renikunta said could help the MPO build implementations.
Those policy actions include vehicle restrictions, parking policies, traffic studies, free transit, expanding multimodal options and various resiliency measures. The idea, Renikunta said, is to give areas a toolkit of policy recommendations that could also help address traffic congestion issues on the barrier islands.
Traffic congestion remains the most important issue to Longboat Key residents, according to the town’s annual citizens survey.
In the 2025 survey, 98% of respondents felt it was “very important” or “somewhat important” to address traffic congestion. Additionally, 56.7% of the open-ended responses from the survey were about traffic congestion, road conditions or pedestrian safety.
Commissioner-At-Large Steve Branham is the town commission’s representative on the MPO. He recently took over the position after winning the seat left vacant by Mike Haycock. Haycock also served as the town’s MPO representative.
Still learning his new position, Branham said he was not too familiar with the implementation plan, but knows the Cortez Road intersection and traffic along Bradenton Beach is a top priority for Longboat Key North, the group of homeowners associations on the island’s north end.
He said he is engaged with the Longboat Key North Group, as is District 5 Commissioner Sarah Karon, to work on alleviating the traffic pressures up on that end.
LEARN MORE
The MPO frequently holds public meetings, and the schedule, along with the organization’s contact information, is at MyMPO.org.
Bradenton Beach
Longboat Pass
The corridor of north Longboat Key through Bradenton Beach is one of the most congested areas identified in the MPO’s Barrier Island Implementation Plan.
Varshini Renikunta, Grace Scigousky, Nathan Kautz and Carrigan Allison, from the MPO, tabled at Siesta Key Beach on June 11 for a public information session about the Barrier Island Implementation Plan.
Carter Weinhofer
File image
Courtesy image
Traffic often backs up from the Cortez Bridge intersection onto Longboat Key during peak season.
Longboat Key mansion listed for $35 million
The Serenissima property spans nearly 20,000 square feet and has 145 feet of beach frontage.
ELIZABETH
Longboat Key estate that hit the market this week is Sarasota County’s most expensive listing ever, the listing agent says.
Located behind the gates of the Longboat Key Club, the property — known as Serenissima, which means “the most serene” in Italian — features 19,300 square feet of living space overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The house has six bedrooms, six full bathrooms and two half-baths, as well as a 12-car garage.
Among the highlights are a marble hall with a glass dome, grand salon that can accommodate 100 guests, Venetian murals, a 10-seat home theater, chef’s kitchen and a sun room overlooking the infinity-edge pool. The property also contains 145 feet of beach frontage.
Built in 2005, the home at 845 Longboat Club Road last sold in 2020 for $16.5 million. At the time, it was the highest registered residential purchase ever in the tricounty region of Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties, the Business Observer previously reported.
The owner of the estate is 845 LBCR Land Trust, according to Sarasota County property records. A.K.R. Sunderlin, the trustee of 845 LBCR Land Trust Agreement, took out a $10 million mortgage on the property in 2021 along with James and Laura Rogers, county records show.
The $35 million listing price marks a new milestone for Sarasota and Manatee counties, according to Realtor Rich Polese, founder of Compass Sarasota, who is the agent for the property.
HIGH RISE
In the past few years, the Sarasota market has seen a handful of properties approach this price point:
n A home on Siesta Key called Crystal Waters was listed for $31.5 million earlier this year; the price has since dropped to $29,995,000.
n A residence under construction on Longboat Key was listed for $25 million in January and is expected to be $40 million when the property is complete.
n A home in Harbor Acres was listed for $33.83 million in 2023; it sold for $20 million in 2024, property records show.
In the first week that 845 Longboat Club Road has been on the market, “There has been significant interest in the property,” Polese says, “with several showings having already occurred. It’s going to be great for the entire Sarasota real estate market to get this amazing property sold.” Compass, which reported more than $231 billion in sales in 2024, is the largest independent brokerage in the country by sales volume. It has more than 37,000 agents nationwide and provides access to international partners, according to Polese.
Email press releases, announcements and Letters to the Editor to: Kat Wingert, kwingert@yourobserver.com TO ADVERTISE
Display Advertising: To obtain information, call 941-366-3468, Ext. 345. Classified Advertising / Service Directory: For information and rates, or to place an ad, call 941-955-4888. Hours 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. To place a classified ad online, visit www.YourObserver.com, or email your ad to classified@yourobserver.com.
3 WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE
1. FREE HOME DELIVERY: The Longboat Observers offers free home delivery to singlefamily homes on Longboat Key, Bird Key, St. Armands Key and Lido Shore. The Longboat Observer also delivers to every condominium, resort and commercial building on Longboat Key.
2. MAIL DELIVERY SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Standard First-Class Canada
One year / $95 One year / $200 One year / $250
Six months / $76 Six months / $160 Six months / $200
Three months / $61 Three months / $128 Three months / $160
To subscribe: Please call Donna Condon
The Sarasota/Siesta Key, East County and Longboat Observers
and
Courtesy image
The house at 845 Longboat Club Road spans nearly 20,000 square feet.
Country Club Shores turn-lane construction ahead of schedule
The project is on track to be 60% complete by the end of June, meaning the contractors are ahead of schedule based on the Dec. 31 deadline.
CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER
Construction for Longboat Key’s Country Club Shores turn-lane project has made significant progress since beginning in February, and contractors are tracking ahead of schedule.
Jennifer Fehrs, the town’s fulltime engineer, updated Longboat Key town commissioners at the commission’s June 9 meeting. The update came weeks after residents of Country Club Shores raised concerns with the town over the length of five landscaped medians throughout the project. After reviewing the concerns, the town and its contractors proposed a change to the Florida Department of Transportation.
The change shortened the longest median by 75 feet, and the four others will be reduced by 50 feet. The FDOT approved the change verbally in May, and Fehrs said written approval came at the beginning of June.
The town’s main contractor for the project, Superior Asphalt Inc., spent late April to early June on excavation and base stabilization. As of May 30, the project was 40% complete, according to Fehrs.
“By the end of June, it’s anticipated that we’ll be 60% complete,” Fehrs said. “Just looking at the contract time that doesn’t end until Dec. 30, we’re pretty much ahead of schedule ... it’s tracking well.”
According to the town’s contract, the contractor has until Oct. 31 to reach substantial completion and until Dec. 30 to finalize the project.
But Fehrs said in the meeting the project could be complete sooner.
“The contractor is saying right now it’s the end of August,” Fehrs said.
Construction began in February amid peak season for the island, when snowbirds are present and tourists are abundant. Commissioner-At-Large BJ Bishop said the construction didn’t seem to interfere with the heavier traffic.
“I am amazed that traffic has flown this smoothly,” Bishop said. As the rainy season approaches with hurricane season, Fehrs said the project team hopes there won’t be too many delays moving forward.
If there aren’t delays, the contractors will continue to do embankment and swale work in mid-June, including the removal of two Banyan trees
and installing drainage structures. Around the end of June, contractors will install the structural asphalt in the widened part of the road, and the concrete barriers surrounding the project will reposition.
Crews will install concrete medians in July; by the end of July, they will install irrigation and landscape the medians before construction shuts down for the week of July 4th, according to Fehrs’ project schedule.
This project provides a center turn lane with five landscaped medians from Channel Lane to Longboat Club Road on Longboat Key’s south end. The full project length spans about 0.84 miles.
Contractors will widen the existing pavement by 12 feet to make room for the center turn lane to make a 44-foot-wide section.
The changes will create a roadway section with two 11-foot travel lanes, one 10-foot turn lane, two 6-foot wide paved shoulders with widened bike lanes and five landscaped medians.
The scaling back of the medians is based on feedback from residents in Country Club Shores. Initially presented as a benefit to the community, the project provides safer turns into the neighborhoods of Country Club Shores. But when community members saw plans that included long, higher medians, some raised concerns about not being able to turn safely out of the neighborhoods.
Overall, the project will cost around $2.65 million, for which the town has a joint-project agreement with the FDOT. This means the FDOT will reimburse the town for the project. The original estimated cost was around $1.44 million, but the amending of the joint-project agreement November 2024 accounts for the higher price.
Originally, the project did not include the medians. The town’s original idea in 2017 was to create a lengthened center turn lane without any medians to allow cars to queue in and wait for an opportunity to turn into the communities. Cost estimates at the time were around $200,000.
The FDOT rejected the idea because of operational and safety concerns.
M. Avery, Founder Winner Top Guns Award, Manager of the
Construction on the Country Club Shores turn-lane project began in mid-February.
Image via Town of Longboat Key / Facebook
North-end residents suggest signage could help educate boisterous boaters.
SOUND STRUGGLES
Noise issues stemming from the Jewfish Key sandbar and the surrounding waters continue to be a problem for some north-end residents.
North-end communities like the Village and Land’s End can hear — and sometimes feel — the impacts of crowds of boaters flocking to the sandbar during busy weekends and holidays.
Jim Haft, who lives in Land’s End near the water, said the sandbar has grown a reputation for being a popular party spot for boaters in
the region. This past Memorial Day weekend, Haft said boats packed the sandbar, some with high-wattage sound systems.
“There were hundreds of boats out there,” Haft said. “It only takes a couple of those guys with these 6000-watt sound systems ... it will literally rattle the windows in your house.”
While Haft acknowledges the Longboat Key Police Department’s efforts to boost its marine patrol unit and enforce these types of ordinances, he said the issues still persist.
“The marine police have done a pretty good job, there’s a lot more (marine patrol officers), and they’re
out there a lot,” Haft said. “When they’re there, it’s working. But they can’t be there all the time.”
Haft guessed most of the boaters do not realize the town has an ordinance prohibiting excessive noise. That’s why he and others with the Longboat Key North community group suggested additional signage on the sandbar.
Interim Chief of Police Frank Rubino understands the residents’ concerns and acknowledges that the number of boats that convene on the sandbar has increased.
“It gets really crowded. There are more boats than there were two or three years ago,” Rubino said.
SOUND STATS
According to the Longboat Key Police Department, the department received seven calls for service related to sound from the sandbar during Memorial Day weekend in 2024. This year, there was one call for service for the same issue.
Those numbers only include calls for service, meaning citizens called to report the issue and dispatch sent officers to investigate. That does not include self-initiated calls in which marine patrol officers may have heard noise themselves and gone to investigate.
Maureen Merrigan, co-chair of Longboat Key North, guessed it also has to do with the advancing technology of boats that allow people to travel to the sandbar from places further away, like St. Petersburg and Tampa.
“You have these high-powered boats, and they can go anywhere,” Merrigan said.
Rubino acknowledged the signage suggestion, but said it’s not as simple as going out and putting new signs in the water.
“There are quite a few agencies we would need to go through,” Rubino said. “And it’s a very lengthy procedure.”
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, any municipality, county or other government that wants to install a waterway marker — whether it’s for safety, regulations or information — must apply for a Florida Uniform Waterway Marker permit through the FWC.
“The FUWM Permit is contingent upon the permit holder receiving authorization from the submerged landowner, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard,” the FWC website states.
Despite the possible obstacles, Rubino said he is hoping to discuss the possibilities with north-end representatives. He said this could include waterway signage or possibly signage on neighboring docks.
FROM THE TOWN CODE
The town’s code outlines the regulations for excessive noise both on land and in the surrounding town waters. Chapter 130 of the town code states:
“It shall be unlawful for any person(s), to permit, cause, allow, create, emit, or sustain unreasonably loud or excessive noise from a property located in the town of Longboat Key including the jurisdictional waters thereof.”
Noise levels must not exceed 60 Aweighted decibels, a unit of sound measurement equivalent to normal conversation, between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. That acceptable level drops to 55 A-weighted decibels between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Officers enforcing those regulations could do so with a warning or written civil citation. Chapter 33 of the town’s code states all town codes and ordinances could be enforced with citations not exceeding $500.
Courtesy image
On weekends and holidays, the Jewfish Key sandbar is a popular place for boaters.
Fascist kings behead you
Calling Trump a fascist, dictator king is the Democrats’ new mantra to get you to hate Trump even more. The gullible protesters have no clue what a real king does.
Let’s acknowledge we have no beef with — as Amendment 1 to the Constitution says — “the right of the people peaceably to assemble.”
And as the saying also goes: Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.
But everyone with a half-functioning brain knows when you see videos of violence — throwing rocks, fire Molotov cocktails, stomping on police cars, lighting Wayz cars on fire, engaging in physical melees with local and federal law enforcement officers — that is not peaceable assembly.
It makes you sick that George Soros thinks that funding all those ignorant thugs and hooligans is contributing to the betterment of our country and society.
If anyone should be deported or jailed, he should be at the top of the list — for aiding and abetting. If you hate the United States so much, then leave.
That goes for all of them.
But here’s another part of all this that gets into your craw. It’s obvious that many of the sign wavers along Tamiami Trail and elsewhere Saturday have no clue of history and are gullible, social media-influenced sheep.
“IN AMERICA, WE DON’T DO KINGS! They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights and slashed our services. THE CORRUPTION HAS GONE TOO FAR! NO THRONES! NO CROWNS. NO KINGS! … “We’re raising our flags for liberation … ” So said the Democratic Party of Sarasota County on its website before Saturday’s protests.
King Donald Trump?
This obviously is the Democratic Party’s new messaging — to make the malleable masses think we have regressed and degenerated so far that we’re back in the Revolutionary War days. That we’re enduring, under Trump, the same “abuses,” “usurpations” and “despotism” of King George.
Remember those? Jefferson listed 27 of them, among them:
■ “He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
■ “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
■ “He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
■ “He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
■ “He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
“For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
“For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
“For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
“For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
“For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
“For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
“For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
• “He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation … ”
Sound like Trump?
If only the protesters knew what real kings did in France. From Robert Darnton’s “The Revolutionary Temper, Paris, 1748-1789:”
In 1750, with much of Paris in economic misery, the king’s police were ordered to round up beggars, confine them to prison or ship them off to Tobago. The police also kidnapped children, from age 5 to 10, snatching them off the streets and holding them for ransom. The kidnappings were so pervasive they ignited riots.
Public executions were common. Condemned men and women would be paraded in a cart past gawkers, then climb the stairs of the scaffold. Executioners would place the noose around the convicted soul’s neck, remove the support on which he or she stood, leaving the man or woman dangling in the air. Death would come in 10 to 20 minutes, but the body would be left hanging long enough for everyone to see.
If the convicted criminal were a nobleman, he was privileged enough to have a choice — the noose or beheading by ax. At one site in northern Paris, hanged corpses’ “remained exposed to the public for months while their flesh rotted off.” This was to remind the people of the king’s authority.
Indeed, French monarchs truly believed God anointed them. King Louis XIV’s preacher wrote that French kings “have received from God himself the greatest and most absolute power to make laws for improvement, administration to control them, judicial authority to punish and compensate.”
Is that Trump?
We all cringe at times when Trump goes beyond the norms of past (do-nothing) presidents. But Trump rightly scoffed after a reporter asked him what he thought of the upcoming No King protests:
“I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved. The king would have never had the California mandate. He wouldn’t have to call up Mike Johnson and John Thune say, ‘Fellas, you have got to pull this off.’ And after years, we get it done. No, no, we’re not a king.”
Is he a fascist? That, too, is the common refrain.
It’s likely most of the protesters cannot recite what fascism really is. Definition: “A governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.”
That was Hitler. That was Mussolini. Trump? C’mon.
What is so puzzling and disturbing is this: For the past four years,
HOW DEMOCRATS RALLY PROTESTERS
If you happened to drive the Ringling Bridge-Tamiami Trail roundabout Saturday afternoon, you saw the protesters lining both sides of the street, such as this snapshot. Who are these people? The online flyers of the Sarasota County Democratic Party pretty much tell the story.
Americans were disgusted how the people directing Joe Biden’s presidency opened the U.S. borders to an invasion — yes, invasion — of 10 million illegal aliens. They just walked in unchecked — among them killers, rapists and human and drug traffickers, likely millions oblivious to and uninterested in following the laws that we American citizens are expected to abide and to which we are held accountable.
Exasperated at losing our country, Americans elected Trump to stop the flow and approved deporting the worst of the invaders. But now the Democrats — the same people who preached “No one is above the law” and ordered authoritarian lockdowns during COVID — are protesting against upholding our laws and claiming Trump is the authoritarian dictator.
This just gushes with irony, hypocrisy and stupidity.
Trump haters, try this: the Arthur Laffer Rule of One. Say a group of 10 illegal migrants from all over the world, unable to speak English, simply walks through your front door uninvited and starts living
with you — crowding your bedrooms; sleeping on the living room floor; dirtying your bathrooms, consuming your food, leaving trash and debris all over the house.
They brought children who are sick; women who have been raped. They have no money. They expect you to feed them, even though you already are struggling to feed your own children. One of them, a male, has molested your child.
What would you do?
You know darn well what you would do.
As these protesters scoffed at Trump’s parade honoring the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, as they waved their vulgar signs or burned their cities, they triggered the following thought: Where were they on D-Day, June 6? Did they give an inkling of thought, respect or gratitude to the sacrifices their forebearers made for them on Omaha Beach or Iwo Jima?
Sadly, these pliant, pitiful protesters haven’t a clue what a fascist dictator king really is.
“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944
President and Publisher / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com
Executive Editor and COO / Kat Wingert, KWingert@YourObserver.com
Managing Editor / Michael Harris, MHarris@YourObserver.com
Staff Writers / Dana Kampa, DKampa@ YourObserver.com; Carter Weinhofer, CWeinhofer@YourObserver.com
Digital & Engagement Editor / Kaelyn Adix, KAdix@YourObserver.com
Digital News Editor / Eric Garwood, EGarwood@YourObserver.com
Advertising Graphic Designers / Luis Trujillo, Taylor Poe, Louise Martin, Shawna Polana
Digital Developer / Jason Camillo, JCamillo@YourObserver.com
Information Technology Manager / Homer Gallego, HGallego@YourObserver. com
Chief Financial Officer / Laura Strickland, LStrickland@YourObserver.com
Controller / Rafael Labrin, RLabrin@ YourObserver.com
Office and Accounting Coordinator / Donna Condon, DCondon@ YourObserver.com
Observer Media Group Inc. is locally owned. Publisher of the Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer, West Orange Times & Observer, Southwest Orange Observer, Business Observer, Jacksonville Daily Record, Key Life Magazine, LWR Life Magazine, Baldwin Park Living
MATT WALSH
Matt Walsh
Unfazed by vulgarity, anti-Trump protesters lined both sides of Tamiami Trail just south of the Ringling Bridge-U.S. 41 roundabout Saturday afternoon as part of the national No King protest. Editor’s note: We intentionally blurred the profanity.
St. Regis looks to expand ... parking
Resort is asking Seaplace condominiums for use of 50 parking spaces.
Though the door seemed shut on the St. Regis Longboat Key’s parking saga two years ago, Seaplace residents claim parking issues have reemerged.
According to Seaplace Board President Paul Gold, the St. Regis approached the Seaplace board seeking an agreement to use 50 of the condominium complex’s parking spaces in exchange for monetary compensation for the association, as well as resort perks for condominium owners.
“They’ve been a good neighbor to us,” Gold said. “I saw this as a potential winning opportunity not only to financially support our homeowners association with some parking space rental income, but they were also providing modest hotel discounts.”
Seaplace is one of the largest condominium associations on the island, with 461 units and more than 1,000 residents that are a mix of full time and seasonal.
Gold said the association is under financial stress from rising insurance costs, a required structural integrity reserve study and an estimated $700,000 project to rejuvenate the community’s landscaping.
When St. Regis representatives approached Gold about the possibility, he said it seemed like a winwin that would help boost the association’s revenue and help the resort. He said he and the board have been in communication with St. Regis representatives a couple of times since February.
The St. Regis opened in August 2024 and is approximately 0.3 miles away from the south gate of Seaplace.
tion, Gold said the resort offered perks to Seaplace owners such as dis counts on food, beverage, gift shops and the resort’s featured lagoon.
According to Gold, the St. Regis is looking for 50 parking spaces start ing for three days a week. Gold said members of the association count ed the “unused” spots around the complex and found 77, so he doesn’t believe giving up 50 spots would be an issue.
Representatives of the St. Regis said the resort did not have any information to share about the topic.
This possibility arose during a condominium association meeting in late May. The idea sparked conversation around the community.
“There are owners who have communicated concerns about noise or security and different things that they wanted to discuss,” Gold said. “I believe these are very legitimate concerns.”
Greg Warren is a seasonal Seaplace resident who is concerned about the possibility. He stressed safety concerns, liability issues and doesn’t feel there’s a true upside for owners.
“St. Regis has a problem,” Warren said. “It’s not our problem.”
Warren also claimed having St. Regis workers parking and traversing through Seaplace’s gates would cause traffic. It’s not just 50 work-
ers parking there for a day, Warren claimed, but rather 50 spots shared among multiple shifts.
“I believe the traffic going into Seaplace at the south gate is going to be horrible,” Warren said. “It’s not just 50 spots; it’s three shifts using those 50 spots.”
Based on what he’s heard, Warren believes the possibility is unpopular among most residents.
“Most of the owners are up in arms about the situation and totally against it,” Warren said.
John Lamont is another Seaplace resident opposed to the idea. He also doesn’t see much benefit for Seaplace owners and stressed security and privacy issues.
“It impacts us directly,” Lamont said. “We have our own problems.”
He also said the matter came at the end of the association meeting on May 22, at a time when most residents are gone for the season. Those who were able to learn about the possibility opposed it, he claims.
“People who are just hearing about
it now are all opposed to it,” Lamont said.
Lamont also grew suspicious the town of Longboat Key had a hand in the potential agreement. Part of the reason was because of an email sent to District 2 Commissioner Penny Gold in June. The email was in support of the potential arrangement and addressed to Paul Gold, who is married to the commissioner.
“While it is a private agreement, I can’t escape the suspicion that it was facilitated by some in the town,” Lamont said.
Town Manager Howard Tipton confir med that St. Regis representatives reached out to the town earlier this year to ask if the resort could use the lot near the Town Center Green for special events.
Tipton said the resort could use spots as long as the town was not using the area for events.
“Parking there has kind of been short term until they figure something out,” Tipton said.
Both Tipton and Paul Gold said
Seaplace is one of the island’s largest condominium complexes, with 461 units.
the potential parking agreement between Seaplace and the St. Regis would be a private matter and the town has no involvement.
Gold emphasized this idea was a “possibility for discussion” and nothing was a done deal. If the board would consider such an agreement, he said there would need to be clauses to handle liability, security and some sort of cancellation notice.
“I also know that the owners would need to be invested in this,” Gold said. “If 100% of the owners hate it, then I’m not going to do it.”
The St. Regis’ parking issues began when the resort was still under construction. In June 2023, the town commission unanimously denied the resort’s proposal for a multilevel parking garage with 156 spaces. After the denial, the town commission approved a plan by Unicorp National Developments Inc., the company that developed the St. Regis, to expand a 33-space lot to a 93-space lot and added 12 spaces near the entrance.
St. Regis
Seaplace
Image via Google Maps
7:29 a.m., 2200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Citizen Assist: citizen called dispatch to report an American flag hanging upside down. The caller was concerned it could be a signal of distress. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the flag torn from the grommets. No one answered when officers knocked on the door and rang the doorbell, so the officers removed the flag, folded it properly and left it on a bench on the residence’s front porch.
FRIDAY, JUNE 6
UNWANTED GUARD BIRD
5:11 p.m., 200 block of Sands Point Road
Animal Problem: A citizen requested animal services for his claim that a bird was attacking customers. A Longboat Key police officer reached out to the man via phone and learned there was a bird standing outside the front lobby of a business and attacking customers so much that staff had to block off part of the front lobby to prevent injuries. The man requested that animal services remove the bird, so the Longboat officer contacted Sarasota County Animal Services. The department said it could not relocate birds or nests and that the actions taken by the bird seemed to be natural.
SATURDAY, JUNE 7
AFTER DINNER DISPUTE
10:03 p.m., 400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Disturbance: An officer on patrol was approached by a motorist about a verbal dispute that happened outside of a nearby establishment. The motorist said as they were leaving the restaurant, a man was causing a disturbance and started a verbal argument with them. Officers located the man in question as he was walking to his Longboat Key home. All parties agreed it was just a verbal altercation and it never got physical, so no further police action was necessary.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11
SMARTPHONE TOO SENSITIVE
11:15 a.m., 500 block of Bay Isles Road
Alarm: Dispatch sent officers to investigate a rescue assist that was sent due to an automatic fall notification sent by Apple. At the scene, officers found a woman who said she threw her phone in her purse, which triggered the alarm. She assured officers she was not in danger and did not need emergency services.
THURSDAY, JUNE 12
CAUGHT CHEATING
1:06 a.m., 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious Vehicle: A concerned citizen reported a suspicious vehicle parked in a local business lot after hours, but did not want to speak to police in person. When an officer arrived at the scene, the officer spoke with the driver, who said she was arguing with her boyfriend on the phone and decided to pull over for 10-15 minutes. While speaking to her, the officer noticed several miscellaneous items scattered around the vehicle and asked the woman about them. She told the officer she caught her boyfriend cheating on her earlier and took her belongings to move out of his place. She said she was on her way to stay somewhere else for the night, but the vehicle she was driving belonged to her boyfriend. Officers checked around the business to make sure there were no signs of forced entry before they let the woman go on her way to deal with her personal issues.
ON STANDBY FOR DELIVERY
10:48 p.m., 2600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious Vehicle: A resident called to report a suspicious vehicle parked on the corner of a residential lot. The responding officer approached the vehicle and attempted to speak to the driver, who struggled with English. Despite a language barrier, the officer discovered the man was a DoorDash driver and was parked waiting for another delivery. The man and his vehicle were negative for wants and warrants, and the man was cooperative throughout the investigation, so the officer allowed him to go about his business.
Commission boosts Chamber grant
The town of Longboat Key usually makes a $7,500 annual contribution to the Chamber of Commerce, but Mayor Ken Schneier suggested an increase to help with hurricane relief.
CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER
The Longboat Key Town Commission approved a one-time increase in its annual contribution to the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, from $7,500 to $10,000.
Mayor Ken Schneier suggested the increase to provide additional financial support to the chamber after the chamber lost revenue from membership dues this past year.
At the commission’s June 9 meeting, Schneier opened the discussion by emphasizing this was his suggestion and the chamber did not come to the town seeking help for extra funding.
“It was entirely my instigation and not by the chamber at all,” Schneier said. “The chamber’s budget was under additional pressure due to the inability of member businesses to pay any or, in some cases, a portion of their dues while the chamber was taking on additional functions to help those businesses and the town in recovery efforts.”
The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization open to businesses on Longboat Key, Siesta Key and Lido Key to become members, advertise and promote local businesses.
According to Chamber of Commerce President Kim Verreault, the chamber enacted a moratorium on membership dues for three months after Hurricanes Helene and Milton to alleviate financial pressures on local businesses.
Verreault estimated the chamber experienced a 21.6% revenue loss from not collecting membership dues. In 2024, the chamber collected $42,802 from memberships, but that number dropped to $33,562.50 in 2025.
“The decline reflects the disruption following the hurricanes, but we are stabilizing and trending toward recovery,” Verreault said, adding the chamber has resumed collecting membership dues.
The chamber’s 2025 operating budget is $484,425, and 29.9% of the revenue is membership income.
Another 23.3% of the revenue comes from community events.
One of the chamber’s main event series, Savor the Sounds, was down 47.1% in net income. Revenue decreased by about $10,685 from 2024 to 2025.
Schneier said in his opening statement that one of the main reasons for bringing this up was hearing about this shortfall and the lower turnout at this year’s events.
Verreault also said the chamber eliminated the organization’s visitor’s guide and visitor’s map
projects for 2025 to prevent asking businesses for additional advertising funds.
With the $10,000, Verreault said one-third of it, or $3,333, would go toward a membership relief fund. This fund would allow the chamber to provide one-year memberships at no cost to businesses still facing financial hardship from the hurricanes. The chamber would review those memberships on a case-bycase basis.
The remaining $6,667 would be for a “Love LBK — Support Local” marketing and advertising campaign. The chamber would use these funds to produce professional countertop displays for businesses, targeted advertising for day-trippers from Florida markets and more. Neighboring counties also subsidise the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce. Sarasota County’s tourism organization, Visit Sarasota County, contributes $4,000 annually, and the Manatee County counterpart contributes about $54,000.
Schneier suggested Sarasota County or the city should be the larger contributor since the Longboat Key Chamber also covers St. Armands and Lido. He said the conversation at the June 9 meeting could be a starting point to talk to those neighboring organizations about chipping in a little more.
Verreault previously attended the commission’s May 9 meeting for the same matter. At that meeting, commissioners like Commissioner-At-Large BJ Bishop wanted more information, such as the chamber’s annual budget, before approving the increase.
At the June 9 meeting, Bishop held her stance that taxpayer funds should not always go to outside organizations, but she said she recognizes the value the chamber brings to the community and would vote in favor.
The commission voted 6-0 to approve the one-time increase.
Carlin Gillen
Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce
President Kim Verreault (right) speaks at the June 9 Longboat Key Town Commission meeting alongside Diane Lopez, board chair.
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
SMOOTHER SAILING
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
How do you dig out historic buildings engulfed by 9 feet of sand?
By hand, mostly.
If it seems like hard work, it is, according to Dave Newman, operations and facilities manager of the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key. The arts incubator was hit by both Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
In addition to using professional contractors, the Hermitage was assisted in sand removal by neighbors, according to Andy Sandberg, CEO and artistic director.
“That expression about ‘neighbors helping neighbors’ in Florida really is true,” says Sandberg, who joined the Hermitage in 2019 after a career as a performer, director and producer on Broadway and London’s West End that’s not over yet.
By now, Sandberg, a native New Yorker, is an old Florida hand, having survived not just Helene and Milton, but Hurricane Ian, which struck in September 2022.
It turns out that it’s not just Sandberg who wants the Hermitage to survive. So do its neighbors, patrons and fellows, as the artists who come for residencies at the idyllic beachfront sanctuary are known.
Incorporated as a nonprofit in 2002, the Hermitage is on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of its buildings date back to 1907 and are quite storm-resilient, says Sandberg. He likens managing hurricane preparations and recovery to “directing a play, only it’s not as much fun.”
On a recent Friday afternoon, sitting on a screened porch overlooking the Gulf in the Hermitage Palm House, Sandberg was in high spirits. He had recently returned from not just one, but two reunions.
After making sure his visitor takes a seat facing the water so they can enjoy the view, Sandberg excitedly relays the news that Sarasota actress Ann Morrison is joining the touring production of “Kimberly Akimbo,” whose music was written by Hermitage Fellow Jeanine Tesori.
Morrison will join “Kimberly Akimbo” in Cleveland after the close of Asolo Repertory Theatre’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” on June 29. She is playing King Herod in the rock opera.
“Annie is perfect for the role of Kimberly,” exudes Sandberg, who keeps a foot in the theatrical world himself. “Having known her for many years, I immediately thought of her when I saw the New York production.”
“Kimberly Akimbo” tells the story of a teenager with a rare genetic condition that causes her to age rapidly, requiring a player who can act youthful but who has a mature appearance.
Now about those reunions: The first was at Yale, where Sandberg was a member of the Ivy League college’s famed Whiffenpoof singing group back in his university days. The second was a gathering in New York City of the Hermitage’s starstudded alumni ahead of the Tony Awards ceremony on June 8.
More than 200 Hermitage alums gathered at the Sanctuary Hotel’s Haven Rooftop on June 2 to toast the arts incubator’s national and international impact. Among those attending were Pulitzer Prize winners, Tony and Grammy Award winners, MacArthur and Guggenheim fellows, National Book Award winners and others.
While Sandberg was up in New York, he found a plastic bottle of hand sanitizer in a restaurant with the Hermitage label on it. It’s a relic from the COVID-19 era, when the organization handed them out at events.
“Would you like one?” Sandberg asks.
DON’T CALL IT A ‘HIDDEN GEM’
In describing the Hermitage reunion, Sandberg makes a special plea:
“Don’t call us a hidden gem. We’re one of the most important artistic organizations in Florida and in the country,” he says.
With his showbiz background, no one can accuse Sandberg of hiding his light or the Hermitage’s light under a bushel. If anyone’s working overtime to make sure Sarasota is mentioned in the same breath as entertainment capitals New York, Los Angeles and London, it’s Sandberg.
But in addition to hosting and attending glitzy parties, Sandberg’s job involves wrestling with hurricanes and making nice with Hermitage donors and neighbors. Besides pitching in with sand removal, those helpful folks hosted some Hermitage fellows who weren’t able to stay on the retreat’s campus because of hurricane cleanup.
Sarasota County is the Hermitage Artist Retreat’s landlord, but much of the cleanup costs have been borne by the Hermitage itself. Approximately $750,000 has been spent to date, and another $250,000 in expenditures will be necessary to get the premises back in shape, Sandberg says.
Of course, when you’re dealing with historic structures, government regulations come into play. But that doesn’t preclude upgrades to the grounds and to the 2000-era Palm House.
After the Hermitage and its helpers removed tons of sand from its campus, Sandberg and Newman decided to widen the path that runs from the Palm House to the nearby Whitney section of the retreat, to accommodate golf carts, and then covered it with small shells. The enclave is named for Alfred Whitney, who built a hurricane-proof house and a water collection system in the 1940s.
What once was a water-filled cement pool next to the Palm House is now empty and seems to be headed for removal, pending permits and approvals. But that’s the least of Sandberg’s worries.
He and Hermitage Managing Director Stacia Lee are preparing to host their first beachfront event since the hurricanes hit last year. The June 26 program will feature Daniel and Patrick Lazour, finalists for the 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize, and returning Hermitage Fellow Mark Sonnenblick.
In addition to a Hermitage residency, the Greenfield Prize comes with a $30,000 commission. It rotates between theater, music and visual arts.
Hermitage fellows, whether they’re Greenfield Prize winners, are
SEE HERMITAGE, PAGE 12
The Hermitage Artist Retreat hosts its first beach event since being hit by two hurricanes in 2024.
Hurricane Helene destroyed the main road on Manasota Key leading to the Hermitage Artist Retreat.
Image courtesy of Nancy Guth
Hermitage Artist Retreat CEO and Artistic Director Andy Sandberg enjoys the Florida lifestyle.
Courtesy images
The campus of the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Oct. 10, 2024, the day after Hurricane Milton made landfall.
Sand dunes rise to nearly the top of the first floor at one of the Hermitage Artist Retreat’s historic buildings following Hurricane Helene.
night of their show, Aug. 23, a storm mercifully passed by even though it looked as if the concert would be rained out.
required to interact with the public. They often use community events as an opportunity to workshop new material. Local audiences appreciate the sneak peek of work heading to world-class stages.
If you’re not up to date on current theater news like Sandberg is, let us tell you that Sonnenblick is coming to Englewood after a West End collaboration with Elton John in “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Sonnenblick also appeared at a Hermitage event at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in January, where he gave audiences an in-depth look at how songs are written and woven into a narrative musical.
The Lazour Brothers recently received several nominations for their New York production of “We Live in Cairo.”
Welcoming the Lazour brothers back to the Hermitage Retreat is meaningful for Sandberg because the two brothers were the last artists to perform on the beach in 2024 before the hurricanes arrived. On the
In the weeks following the hurricanes, the Hermitage, like other arts organizations in Sarasota, had to cancel performances and scramble for venues. A Hermitage event that was moved to the roof of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe was ultimately canceled.
Not all Hermitage fellows were up for dealing with a hurricane-ravaged community. One who was: Britton Smith, a Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner. Smith headlined a program at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens on Oct. 17, a little more than a week after Milton hit.
Smith, a Tony award winner and Hermitage Greenfield Prize finalist, is the band leader for an alternative soul band called Britton and the Sting.
“I was so grateful to Britton and to Selby, which was in the midst of its own hurricane cleanup,” Sandberg says. “We didn’t know how many people would come, but it was packed.”
“Don’t call us a hidden gem. We’re one of the most important artistic organizations in Florida and in the country.”
— Andy Sandberg, CEO and artistic director of the Hermitage
Another artist who wasn’t afraid to make the trip to Sarasota post-hurricanes was Claire Chase. The Hermitage fellow presented a solo flute program called “Destiny of Density” on Dec. 5 at Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point campus. “Claire is just wonderful,” Sandberg enthused.
For this year’s first beach performance, Sandberg is expecting to fill all the Hermitage’s 500 beach chairs. He encourages attendees to bring their chairs, just in case.
DONORS MAKE PROGRAMS POSSIBLE
As are all Hermitage performances,
the June 26 program, “Key Change: Return to the Beach” is just $5 with registration. What makes it possible to host public events that are essentially free is the generosity of Hermitage donors. The Lazour Brothers residency was sponsored by Carol White Bold and Larry Bold, while Sonnenblick’s residency was sponsored by Jane and Bill Knapp.
Even though the Hermitage has plenty of beach chairs, it doesn’t have public restrooms. Sandberg advises attendees to “go before you go. It’s only a 60-minute program.” Bring any beverages you would like to consume during the concert.
Those traveling to Hermitage Beach should take the south bridge to Manasota Key, the Tom Adams Bridge, because of ongoing road repairs.
As the Hermitage restores its buildings and grounds, it’s also restocking its team. The organization is currently conducting a search for a development director and a programming director.
The old Navy slogan “It’s not just a job; it’s an adventure” could easily apply to Sandberg’s operation, which often calls for all hands on deck.
Come hurricane season, those hands may be hoisting sandbags or wielding shovels.
IF YOU GO
‘KEY CHANGE: A RETURN TO THE BEACH’ WITH DANIEL AND PATRICK LAZOUR AND MARK SONNENBLICK
When: 6:30 p.m. on June 26
Where: Hermitage Beach, 6660 Manasota Key Road, Englewood. Tickets: $5 with registration. Info: Visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
Courtesy images
An aerial view of the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key during an event on the beach.
Daniel and Patrick Lazour return to the Hermitage Beach on June 26.
HERMITAGE, FROM PAGE 11
ALL ABOARD the SS Ben Liebert
The theater kid turned director hits his stride at Florida Studio Theatre.
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
It’s been said that theater kids never grow up. Ben Liebert is no exception to the rule.
Liebert has a childlike enthusiasm for “Dames at Sea,” which he’s directing at Florida Studio Theatre. He also has a personal connection. No, “Dames at Sea” wasn’t the Broadway musical he saw as a child that ignited his love for the stage; that distinction goes to “Beauty and the Beast.”
But Liebert starred in “Dames at Sea,” a sendup of Busby Berkeley’s legendary film musicals of the 1930s, when he was growing up in Verona, New Jersey. He played the lead, Dick, a sailor songwriter, while classmate Beth Spektor starred as his leading lady, Ruby, a dancer fresh off the bus from Utah.
Liebert and Spektor were exchanging texts and photos on June 12, the night that “Dames at Sea” opened at FST to an enthusiastic response from subscribers, who normally fill the house during the first three weeks of a run.
“A lot of my memories have guided me through the process” of directing and choreographing “Dames at Sea,” Liebert said in a telephone interview. “I’m trying to draw on that fun and joy.” FST’s “Dames at Sea” stars Devin Johnson as Dick and FST newcomer Emily Ann Brooks as Ruby. Theatergoers may remember Johnson from his winning turn as Ogie in FST’s recent production of “Waitress.”
With a smile that occupies the bottom half of his face, Johnson’s hard to miss.
Rounding out the cast, which is just six players in FST’s rendition as opposed to nearly 60 in the school production of Liebert’s youth, is Jenna Coker-Jones as the diva, Mona, Joel Newsome doing double duty as a Broadway director and a Navy captain, Kelsey Stalter as the jaded hoofer Joan and Lucky as her sailor beau.
“Dames at Sea” first hit the stage back in 1966 with an Off-Off Broadway production that starred Bernadette Peters, later a stalwart of Stephen Sondheim musicals who is currently starring in “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends” on Broadway. The original “Dames at Sea” never made it all the way to the Great White Way until 2015.
A veteran of Broadway and touring productions such as “Fiddler on
the Roof,” “Wicked” and “Grease,” Liebert describes his theatrical sweet spot as being a “Venn diagram where musicals and comedies intersect.”
Liebert may be just 5 feet, 4 inches tall, but he holds his ground. He’s not afraid to push back, especially when it comes to the notion of art as pure escapism. “Sure, the musicals of the 1930s helped people escape the gloom of the Great Depression for a couple of hours, but art is more than that. It’s not about avoiding your problems; it’s about reinvigorating your soul,” he says.
Featuring book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller, with music by Jim Wise, “Dames at Sea” has sometimes been dismissed as derivative. Back in 2015, Jesse Green, now New York Times theater critic, wrote a withering review for the website Vulture of the fast-tapping tale of a struggling Broadway show that gets relocated to a Navy ship.
“The opening number, ‘Wall Street,’ is a weak-tea dilution of ‘We’re In the Money;’ Cole Porter’s ‘Begin the Beguine’ gets reduced to ‘The Beguine’ (‘Do you remember ... those nights of splendor in Pensacola?’); and the chord progression of ‘The Man I Love’ is lifted wholesale for an infinitely inferior torch song called ‘That Mister Man of Mine.’”
Ten years later, some of Green’s concerns seem overblown. “We’re embracing the pastiche with -
out slipping into parody,” Liebert explains in describing his approach to the musical. (I had to look up “pastiche,” which is an “artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist or period.”)
As an example, Liebert points to a moment when Joan nearly falls while holding out her hand as she describes the massive size of an engagement ring.
According to Liebert, “Dames at Sea” doesn’t get the love it deserves because it’s not produced that often, due to a dearth of tap dancers.
IT WAS THE SHOES, NOT THE DANCE
When he was growing up in a theatrical household (his father, Mark Liebert, is a professional actor), Liebert took dance lessons from his father, but he didn’t take to tap dancing at first.
“The first time I ever tap danced on stage, my feet hurt and I didn’t like it,” he recalls. “It was because the shoes were too small. They had been purchased six months earlier and my feet had grown.”
IF YOU GO
‘DAMES AT SEA’
When: Through June 29
Where: FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St.
Tickets: $42 and up Info: Visit FloridaStudioTheatre. org.
In 2023, Liebert saw another ad from FST, this time for a permanent position for a director/choreographer. He applied and came down to Sarasota on a trial basis in September 2023 and joined the theater company, which Hopkins has been running since 1980, on a full-time basis this past May.
Since then, Liebert has directed eight shows — four mainstage productions, two children’s theater productions and two cabarets. Questioned whether that level of productivity can be sustained, Liebert says the teamwork at FST ensures that he’s not carrying the load alone.
Those concerned about Liebert’s breakneck pace will be glad to hear that he and his wife, Lauren Kadel, director of operations for the Platinum National Dance competition, are taking time to celebrate their 40th birthdays this year with a trip to Barcelona in August.
Before 2021, Liebert had never visited Sarasota, despite being active in regional theater around the country. He was pleased to discover a vibrant downtown scene, of which FST is a major part. “You never know if a town is going to have life,” he says. “It always hit or miss.”
To be sure, Liebert’s working hard at FST, but he doesn’t mind. “So often as artists, we bounce from gig to gig. I’m enjoying having a wonderful theatrical home where I can stretch myself as an artist and do different kinds of things,” he says.
After performing in school and community theater productions, Liebert attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he majored in musical theater. A study abroad program led to a role in a touring production of “Grease Das Musical,” which took Liebert and his fellow cast members all across Europe. In 2015, Liebert made the transition to directing. He made his FST debut as a choreographer in 2021 with “Laughing Matters,” after answering an ad for a comedic cabaret choreographer. FST Producing Artist Director Richard Hopkins was directing and the two got to know each other.
Courtesy image Ben Liebert is Florida Studio Theatre’s resident director/choreographer.
Image courtesy of Sorcha Augustine
Emily Ann Brooks takes center stage in Florida Studio Theatre’s “Dames at Sea.”
THIS WEEK
the final Friday night concert of the Sarasota Music Festival, on Friday, June 20.
THURSDAY
SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR
11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road $20 adult; $13 child Visit CircusArts.org.
Pack up the car with Grandpa and the kids and head for the Circus Arts Conservatory’s annual Summer Circus Spectacular at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, a jewelbox venue that elevates any show. This thrilling, 60-minute circus of fresh new acts is perfect for people of all ages with short attention spans. There’s room for walkers, strollers, wheelchairs, you name it — but please arrive early so ushers can
OUR PICK
THIRD ANNUAL JUNETEENTH ARTS FESTIVAL
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s third annual Juneteenth Arts Festival runs all day, both inside and out, at the WBTT campus. There will be live performances by WBTT artists, food trucks, displays by visual artists and a screening of “Soul Crooners: The Documentary.” Don’t miss student performers at 5 p.m. and a jazz concert starring Dee Lucas at 6 p.m., both inside the Donelly Theatre.
IF YOU GO
When: 11 a.m. Sunday, June 22
Where: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave.
Nate Jacobs and members of Westcoast
Theatre Troupe host the third annual Juneteenth Arts Festival on June 22.
store them. Make it a circus day by adding a ticket to The Ringling’s famed Circus Museum for just $5 on the day of the show. Runs through Aug. 9.
‘BEETLEJUICE JR.’
7:30 p.m. at The Sarasota Players, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1130 $20 Visit ThePlayers.org.
It’s summer children’s theater season. When you see a familiar name with the appendage “Jr.,” it means the show is about 60 minutes, its performers are young and/or both. This musical, presented by the Sarasota Players Studio, the community theater’s youth arm, follows Lydia Deetz, an unusual teenager who finds some otherworldly friends when she and her father move to a new house. Runs through June 22.
‘HOW SWEET IT IS’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave.
$18-$42
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
As the mercury rises, locals know how to escape the heat with Florida Studio Theatre’s Summer Cabaret. The series kicks off with a Motown tribute called “How Sweet It is.” Led by dynamic vocalist and songwriter Luke McMaster, an energetic trio demonstrates the enduring appeal of hits like “Tracks of My Tears,” “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “Stop! In the Name of Love.” Runs through Aug. 3.
‘JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR’
7:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $35-$95 Visit AsoloRep.org.
This is it — the one we’ve been waiting all season for! Broadway director Josh Rhodes (“Spamalot”) returns to Sarasota to direct and choreograph Asolo Rep’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the granddaddy of rock musicals. The show is everything we’d hoped for — and more. Runs through June 28.
DON’T MISS
‘HEIRLOOM’ The history of Sarasota Music Festival Director Jeffrey Kahane’s family runs through this program, which features two pieces composed by his son Gabriel Kahane. Gabriel will first play solo piano on his piece, “October 1, 1939/Port of Hamburg.” Then father and son will switch places as Gabriel conducts the festival orchestra and his father plays piano on Gabriel’s three-movement concerto called “Heirloom,” which tells the story of three generations of their family.
IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 20
Where: Sarasota Opera House Tickets: $29-$52 Info: Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
FRIDAY
LIZ LONGLEY
8 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court
$26
Visit WSLR.org.
Nashville-based artist Liz Longley has a new album, “New Life,” which explores the impact of motherhood on her life, including a bout of postpartum depression and changes in relationship dynamics. In 2020, Longley made a name for herself with “Funeral For My Past,” released after an amicable split with her former record label and a blockbuster Kickstarter campaign.
SATURDAY
SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL FINALE
7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $29-$72 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
Festival alum Elena Urioste performs Korngold’s post-Romantic Violin Concerto, instantly recognizable from film scores. Also on the bill is Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, which pays tribute to the music of Haydn, Mozart and Schubert, while also honoring Bach. The Sarasota Orchestra is promising a real “Hollywood ending” for the 61st edition of the Sarasota Music Festival. We can’t wait!
SUNDAY
HD AT THE OPERA HOUSE: HERALD’S ‘LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE’ 1:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $20 Visit SarasotaOpera.org.
Fans of Sir Frederick Ashton, rejoice! “La fille mal gardée” (“The Wayward Daughter”) was the last ballet choreographed by Ashton. It tells the story of Lise, a farmer’s daughter who defies her mother’s marriage plans for her. An ode to the English countryside, this Royal Ballet rendition stars Natalia Osipova as Lise and Steven McRae as her true love, Colas.
MONDAY
RAUSCHENBERG: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
The John and Mable Ringling Art Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Road Free with $25 admission; Mondays free Visit Ringling.org.
The Ringling joins museums around the world in honoring the centenary of maverick artist Robert Rauschenberg, who burst onto the art scene in the mid-20th century with collages he called “combines.” The exhibition includes works The Ringling has in its collection, including pieces Rauschenberg created during his time on Captiva Island on Florida’s Gulf Coast, where he moved in 1968 and remained until his death 40 years later. Runs through Aug. 3.
TUESDAY
‘GEORGE HARRISON: A GARDENER’S LIFE’ 10 a.m. at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St. $28 Visit Selby.org.
“George Harrison: A Gardener’s Life” is the ninth installment of the annual Jean and Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series. Walking around the 15-acre sanctuary on the Sarasota bayfront where gardens and botanical displays have been erected to mirror those in Harrison’s estate, Friar Park, you can’t help feeling that the late Beatle would approve of this living tribute. Pro tip: Arrive as soon as you can after opening time for a serene experience. Stop for lunch in the world’s first net-carbon free restaurant, The Green Orchid. You can’t go wrong with the BLT. Runs through June 29.
‘TOO DARN HOT: SONGS FOR A SUMMER NIGHT’ 7:30 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $39 and up Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Songstress Carole J. Bufford easily skips eras and genres. Whether she’s singing songs by Ray Charles, whose ditty, “Sinner’s Prayer,” is featured in Ryan Coogler’s crossgenre hit film “Sinners,” Frank Sinatra or Patsy Cline, she exudes a retro vibe. What’s more, her cool costumes in “Too Darn Hot” evoke everything from flappers of the 1920s to the neo-swing era of the 1990s. Runs through Sept. 14.
Image courtesy of Jason Quigley
Gabriel Kahane will perform in “Heirloom,”
Black
Telling a tale of Black family life without the usual cliches
Urbanite’s ‘From 145th to 98th Street’ has a few big moments but focuses on small decisions.
MARTY FUGATE THEATER CRITIC
Nia Akilah Robinson’s “From 145th to 98th Street” has premiered at Urbanite Theatre. Her play is about many things. It’s about changes of address and attitude. It’s about dreams deferred. It’s a sharply drawn family drama. It’s about the spirit of a place. It’s about the family rooted in that place. But it’s mostly a play about decisions. The time is 2014. Harlem’s the place. The Curtlys are the family. They’re an African American family. Before the play opens, they’ve left Harlem. Their new apartment is about 50 blocks away — in a mixed neighborhood on 98th Street. Jackie (Imani Slates) and Cedric (Brian D. Coats) did it to create a better life for their teenaged kids, Fatima (Sol Fuller) and Jamal (Ibukun Omotowa). A better school district, more economic possibilities.
But Jamal feels cut off from his roots and moves out. He gets a job at a gym and pursues his dream of a rap career. Fatima feels intimidated by privileged classmates and secretly starts to abandon her college dreams.
The family’s coming apart. But, as the play opens, a local news station falsely identifies Jamal as a robbery suspect. He gets beaten up by self-appointed crime stoppers as a result. He returns to
IF YOU GO
‘FROM 145TH STREET TO 98TH STREET’
When: Through June 29
Where: Urbanite Theatre, 1487
Second St.
Tickets: $30-$44
Info: Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.
his family’s home — bruised and traumatized. But that attack is a catalyst. It starts bringing the family back together.
Director Jerrica D. White keeps the action and dialogue naturalistic and low-key. The rhythms of life ebb and flow unpredictably. You see without being seen. Think “fly on the wall.”
The actors breathe life into Robinson’s sharply defined characters. Each makes you feel for the dreams they’ve put on hold. Jackie, the Curtly matriarch, is a type-A personality. She has an eagle eye for detail and runs the family with military precision. Her character’s tough because she has to be. Beneath her stoic mask, she longs to leave her physically punishing job. In the spirit of “Candide,” Jackie dreams of moving to someplace that’s green and cultivating her garden.
Her husband, Cedric, is a retired bus driver and an ex-martial arts champion. He’s packed an unused room with his old karate trophies and still practices first thing every morning. He dreams of a more serene lifestyle — and a détente with his wife. His character’s back-and-forth with Jackie crackles with authenticity.
Jamal dreams of pursuing his music and being taken seriously.
Fatima is a volatile mix of potential and self-doubt. She dreams of college — but fears she’s not smart enough (or Black enough). Dawn (Ariel Blue), the Curtlys’ next-door neighbor, initially comes off as a busybody when she calls in a noise complaint at the worst possible time. Dawn later apologizes — and it turns out she’s a therapist who dreams of helping people. She becomes a surprising family resource.
The Curtlys’ family affair unfolds in Frank Chavez’ believable set. It won’t be gracing the cover of Architectural Digest anytime soon. The apartment’s uptown but not upscale — a wellused, well-kept, middle-class enclave, complete with a working refrigerator.
Adrienne Pitts’ costumes flow from the characters’ inner lives. Jamal’s T-shirts are my favorite. They change like mood rings from scene to scene. Now, it’s a Notorious B.I.G. T-shirt. Moments later, it’s a Treyvon Martin T-shirt. You always know what Jamal’s feeling. In this play, that’s always the point.
Robinson’s witty script is spiked with occasional heartbreak. But it’s not the typical Black trauma play. It’s just a slice of family life in the African American community. Speaking of which, she’s never didactic. The play’s conflicts are ripped from the headlines — in the New York Post.
But Robinson avoids the insulting cliches of Black experience. Harlem isn’t a hellhole. Midtown isn’t heaven. Jamal smokes pot — so what? There’s no “Just say no” message. Jamal’s the victim of mistaken identity. But no SWAT team kicks down the family’s door.
The playwright also shuns a permissive point of view. Jackie and Cedric want what’s best for their kids. Jamal never went to
college; Jackie fights to make sure Fatima will. But what if that’s her choice? Who is she to decide? The mother, that’s who. The nuanced script has the ambiguity and complexity of life. That’s a risky dramatic structure — it demands focused attention. There’s no ticking clock, no sharp turning points, no life-or-death stakes. It’s just life. Very few big moments. A multitude of small decisions.
Should Fatima mail in the acceptance form to Montclair State College?
Should Jamal protest or sue the local CBS news affiliate?
Should Cedric speak his mind?
Should Jackie offer guidance but let her kids make their own choices?
Good news! The characters all make the right choices. Spoiler alert: By the end of the play, their deferred dreams have all come true. Fatima’s in college, and Jamal’s doing good works at a notfor-profit. Cedric and Jackie are leaving their empty nest and moving to a house with a yard in New Jersey where Jackie can finally put her green thumb to good use.
That’s the end of the Curtlys’ journey in 2014.
I wonder where they’re at in 2025?
Images courtesy of Sorcha Augustine
Brian D. Coats and Imani Slates star in “From 145th to 98th Street,” which runs through June 29 at Urbanite Theatre.
Ibukun Omotowa and Sol Fuller play brother and sister in Nia Akilah Robinson’s “From 145th to 98th Street,” which runs through June 29 at Urbanite Theatre.
YOUR NEIGHBORS
Shift change
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
In his year as commodore, Michael Landis has helped lead Bird Key Yacht Club through occasionally tumultuous waters, including the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton and pending teardown of the old clubhouse. But he said the support of his team and a touch of humor helped the club navigate a way forward.
He hands over the title to his current second-in-command at a change of watch ceremony on June 21 at the Field Club. The commodore sat down with the Observer to reflect on his tenure and background, and share some advice for his successor.
“I’m most proud of the people I had the opportunity to work with,” Landis said when asked about his favorite part of serving as commodore. “We have a phenomenal board, and it’s great to be part of that group. We all respect each other, we get along well, we work hard and we play hard together.”
Landis, who has lived in the area for the past 13 years, was born in northeastern Pennsylvania and was a longtime resident of New York, where he met his wife, Cathy. The two recently celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary.
He celebrated at his own incoming ceremony this past June, when he replaced Commodore Steve Horton.
His family came to the Bronx from Sicily, and he worked in Manhattan for most of his career. His background is in construction, specifically with a global elevator and escalator company.
“We were basically designing and building high-rise buildings and maintaining them,” he said.
He continued, “The last big project I put together was with Larry Silverstein for towers three and four of the World Trade Center.”
The day the towers fell was emotional, Landis said, but he appreciated being in a position to help as the city worked to recover.
“I, unfortunately, watched them come down, but I was there as we started to rebuild,” he said. “We were down in the red zone every week.
Some of our construction riggers helped move the steel beams off the buildings — off the rubble, I should say.”
While it was a difficult time to experience, Landis said he and a friend still make time to talk on the phone every anniversary.
Landis loved the city, but his work later took him to New Jersey to head the North American headquarters of a Swiss construction company, and eventually to worldwide travels to Europe, China and South America. He first got into the construction industry after a stint in the U.S. Army, after which he received a full honorable discharge.
“I’m most proud of the people I had the opportunity to work with. We have a phenomenal board, and it’s great to be part of that group. We all respect each other, we get along well, we work hard and we play hard together.”
— Michael Landis
ling Bridge and looked around, and we said everything you could want is here,” he said. “You have the city, the culture, the water, the beaches.”
Landis first connected with the Bird Key Yacht Club when seeking advice from member Marvin Quin about a nonstop sail from Sarasota to Key West, called the Bone Island Regatta.
Bird Key Yacht Club prepares for change of watch.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see a lot of places and build in a lot of different environments,” he added.
Nearing retirement and having seen his children off to college, he and his wife started making regular trips to warmer climes in the winter. While they visited several destinations, they always looked forward to seeing friends in Longboat Key who had called it home for 30 years.
“We were coming across the Ring-
Now, he enjoys taking out “Even Tide,” a Sabre 34 built to handle even heavy North Atlantic conditions. He learned how to sail while lifeguarding in the Poconos area and has bareboat sailed throughout the Caribbean.
A CLUB WITH HEART
There are plenty of aspects of the club he appreciates, but he said at the heart of it, it comes down to the close connections members form.
“The club just speaks for itself,” he said. “Everyone is friendly, whether you’re a sailor, a power boater, tennis player or whatever. At the end of the day, we’re all just good friends.”
One of the largest projects to arise in his tenure is the upcoming demolition and rebuilding of a clubhouse.
Leaders needed to adjust the timeline when facing skyrocketing construction costs.
But Landis and Britt took the development in stride, even donning
Wayne and Garth costumes for the club’s “Party On” celebration that would have marked demolition day for the 65-year-old building. Britt said they have been making progress with the project, bringing down costs closer to what they initially anticipated.
“We’re absolutely committed to getting this done, but we’re going to do it intelligently,” Britt said. “As we’ve said to members, we’re going to build it without compromising the integrity or vision of the club.”
Besides stewarding the project of the clubhouse, Britt said he plans to work hard to maintain the club’s platinum status, voted upon by 4,000 people in the yachting community.
Landis said maintaining a good sense of humor is essential for keeping an organization going when unexpected challenges arise.
Britt said he plans to do everything in his power to keep the good times coming, and he shared his appreciation for how welcoming members consistently are to new additions.
He and his wife, Irene, didn’t consider themselves part of the typical club crowd when they first moved to the area. But she shared her interest in the Bird Key organization, and they tested the waters with a summer program.
“I’ve joked that when my wife and I joined, we thought we’d be surrounded by the equivalent of Thurston Howell III from ‘Gilligan’s Island,’” he said. “But that’s the furthest thing from the truth ... It’s amazing because members have done such great things, but they’re just regular friends here. That’s not going to change.”
The incoming commodore said he knows many clubhouse neighbors already, but he plans to visit every nearby residence as he assumes his new role.
Landis plans to stay involved with the club, and he said with the support of General Manager Tammy Hackney and fellow team members, he has no doubt Britt will take on the new role flawlessly.
“Really, Tony doesn’t need advice,” Landis said. “He’s going to do an absolutely fabulous job of carrying on this momentum that we’ve started the past few years toward building a new clubhouse.”
One piece of advice he did offer is to focus on the relationships with community members, which he said makes the long hours worthwhile.
“We’re down to earth,” Landis added. “There’s nothing pretentious about what we’re doing. We want to keep the boutique atmosphere, and we don’t want to grow too big, because then it becomes impersonal. Regardless of what our background is, where we come from, or who we are, that doesn’t make any difference here.”
Britt will be the first Canadian to hold the title of commodore, and, like his predecessor, he plans to celebrate his old stomping grounds at his change of watch.
Incoming Bird Key Yacht Club Commodore Tony Britt and outgoing Commodore Michael Landis swap memories and advice in anticipation of the Change of Watch on June 21.
Photos by Dana Kampa
Vice Commodore Tony Britt and Commodore Michael Landis read a letter from the Bird Key Yacht Club members who buried a time capsule 25 years ago.
Volunteers dive for trash, no treasure
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium volunteers found large pieces of doors, docks, chairs and beach equipment at a recent beach clean up.
On the morning of June 14, Mote Marine hosted its Sea to Shore: Clean and Explore event at Ken Thompson Park. Volunteers took to land and sea as paddleboard and diver clean-up crews combed the waters.
Mote also showcased its homeschool program’s youth-led projects, ranging in studies of sunscreen, mangrove trees and the protection of sharks.
“It’s kind of like a way to get better outreach, to meet more people and kind of push us out in a more
social environment,” explained Project Mangrove Manager Isabelle Gunderson.
The most common items found throughout were cans, bottle caps and straws. Yet, volunteer divers found large masses of debris, such as wooden planks and building debris, as well.
“Mote has a really big foothold within the Sarasota and Tampa Bay communities,” said Kathryn Gentile, PR coordinator and part of the dive cleanup.
— CARLIN GILLEN
The debris brought back in from the diver volunteer team, partnered with Florida Underwater Sports Divers.
Photos by Carlin Gillen
Quincy McGinney, Stephen Sattanino and Julia Sattanino
Nicolas Hunter
Victoria Santiago and Heather Arnone lend a helping hand to the divers bringing in debris.
NEXT STOP, IRELAND
Longboat Chamber launches new travel club.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce-organized trip to Ireland is fast approaching, and in anticipation of the journey, the chamber has launched a new, free club for travel enthusiasts.
Anyone in the community can join the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce Travel Club and partake in perks like a pre-trip phone photography class, a special gift and opportunities to give input on future travel destinations.
Chamber Event Coordinator Ellen Thomas said the club will also give community members a chance to connect before and after the upcoming Ireland trip.
The chamber has organized international travel for community members to a variety of destinations. Last year, a group of about 15 people ventured to Italy, which resident Patrice Fanning said she enjoyed immensely.
The self-described avid traveler said she’s also enjoyed participating in a trip to Cuba with The Paradise Center and other personal adventures. The Italy trip ranks among some of her favorite memories, especially the trip to Cinque Terre.
“When I heard about this trip, I was really excited because I had been to Italy several times before, but this was a whole new itinerary,” she said.
Fanning said she found the glassblowing demonstrations to be particularly memorable and a trip highlight. While she appreciates solo travel, she also valued having the chance to make memories with fellow residents on the trip.
She considered going on this year’s trip, but had a unique reason to make other plans. Fanning is adopted, and several years ago, she reconnected with her family through genetic testing.
Now, she makes somewhat regular trips to visit her sister in Ireland. Fanning said she enjoys the country’s sweeping vistas, even when the country’s famous rain showers roll through the hills.
Fanning encourages anyone interested in traveling more to take the plunge. She looks forward to joining the travel club to hear about fellow travelers’ adventures and share
stories of her own about her visits to Singapore and beyond.
While she greatly enjoys the international trips local organizations have planned in recent years, Fanning said she hopes to also soon see more options made available to club members interested in exploring locations closer to home.
Carl Monticelli, who is coordinating the Ireland trip through Jet Vacations, said participants have plenty to anticipate with this trip.
One gem of any international vacation is the food, and he said Irish cuisine is experiencing a sort of renaissance, incorporating food fusion to go beyond the Irish stew and soda bread.
Monticelli said one advantage of traveling with a group like the chamber is the trip has a general structure, featuring hidden-gem restaurants and unique outings. But participants also have the flexibility to adjust their itineraries if, for example, there is a particular boutique they want to visit or trying a pub.
MORE INFORMATION
Special stops on the trip include the Cliffs of Moher and locations in Belfast and Dublin.
This group departs from Tampa International Airport. Travelers have the option of adding travel to Scotland before Ireland and London after.
Cost is $5,499 and includes round-trip airfare from TPA, four-star hotel accommodations, some meals, transportation to guided excursions and activities, and admission to scheduled sites.
The initial deadline to sign up for the trip is June 30, and the trip takes place from Sept. 22 to Oct. 2. Visit the LongboatKeyChamber.com for registration details.
Residents on Longboat Key continue to rebuild their homes in some areas, even as a new hurricane season gets underway. But the storms took a toll on many community members’ stress levels and mental health, as well.
In anticipation of this year’s storms, Kitt Hill with AcuMed Wellness led a free seminar June 11 at The Paradise Center on calming acupressure techniques.
Hill, who has practiced acupressure and acupuncture for the past seven years, said these practices can be helpful to people in distress who have no choice but to wait out the storm if high winds delay help.
“During the storm, once winds hit a certain miles per hour, nobody’s coming to help you,” she said. “You have to wait for the storm to be over.”
She particularly focused on pressure points in the ear that she said can help some people lower their blood pressure, reduce anxiety, manage pain and address nausea, among other effects.
For managing stress during a storm, Hill recommends focusing on the pericardium six pressure point, also called Nei Guan in traditional Chinese medicinal practices. It is located just below the wrist on the arm.
However, she did caution people who are pregnant to avoid certain pressure points, like those on the bottom of the foot, that could increase the likelihood of inducing labor for some.
Hill also offered details on auricular therapy, for which a person can place “ear seeds” on five key pressure points — either in the battlefield or NADA formation — on their ear. The adhesive points can stay in place for several days, and the user can simply press gently on each one to hopefully calm any fears.
She said meditation and certain breathing techniques can complement the acupressure.
“Do what works best for you,” she said. “Do a body scan, and be aware of how your body is feeling. Take some time to have oneness and get grounded, so you don’t feel fearful of something that is out there, outside of your control. What you can control is right here — you.”
She noted acupressure doesn’t pierce the skin, and it is up to the individual to decide whether gently applying pressure, tapping or
rubbing the pressure point is most helpful.
AcuMed Wellness offers free community acupuncture clinics after major storms, and Hill invited community members to request pop-up clinics in their areas.
“That’s one of the tenets of our medicine, that when you’re impacted as a community, you work to help the community,” she said.
In fact, groups like Acupuncturists Without Borders have a mission to help reduce trauma in areas where people are in crisis. Hill is a member, and she said they hope to address grief, stress, anxiety or even physical strain from post-storm cleanup.
Hill encouraged attendees to take care of their physical well-being, even when the demands of repairing homes and navigating the damage are pressing.
“We’ve got to remember that our health is paramount,” she said. “A contractor will rebuild your home, but you don’t get a new body.”
Like storm prep kits, Hill said she hopes this knowledge will be another tool in the toolbox for residents as they prepare for another season.
Photos by Dana Kampa Kitt Hill with AcuMed Wellness explains how to use a magnetic thumb to target acupressure points on the hand.
Liz Yerkes, attendee at The Paradise Center’s seminar on acupressure, demonstrates how a tool from AcuMed can be used with the aim of relieving stress.
The group that traveled with the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce for last year’s trip to Italy pose for a photo.
Courtesy images
Patrice Fanning, who went on the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce’s trip to Italy last year, said day trips to Cinque Terre, Lake Como and Lake Garda were some of her favorite stops.
MICHAEL SAUNDERS & COMPANY PROUDLY PRESENTS
THE SUMMER OF
Opportunity OPEN HOUSE
Extravaganza
ONE DAY ONLY! SUNDAY, JUNE 22
More than 200 homes across Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, and Lee Counties are opening their doors for this extraordinary event.
Your dream home could be just a visit away!
If you wait for the headlines to say “Now is the time to buy” – it may already be too late.
L’Ambiance at Longboat Key Club condo sells for $3.2 million
ADAM HUGHES
RESEARCH EDITOR
Joanne Ellen Ronson and Norma Ronson Koppel, trustees, of New York City, sold the Unit A-701 condominium at 415 L’Ambiance Drive to Jonathan David Sisler, of Longboat Key, for $3.2 million. Built in 1992, it has three bedrooms, three-and-two-half baths and 3,220 square feet of living area. It sold for $990,000 in 1993.
LONGBEACH ON LONGBOAT KEY
Rona Van Amburg and Letricia Carruth, of Mineral Bluff, Georgia, sold their home at 6940 Longboat Drive S. to David Faircloth, of Augusta, Georgia, for $2 million. Built in 2000, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,550 square feet of living area. It sold for $706,000 in 2017.
ORCHID BEACH CLUB
RESIDENCES
William Bolling, of Melrose, Massachusetts, sold his Unit B304 condominium at 2050 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Kurt Joseph Davies, trustee, of Sarasota, for $1.5 million. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,936 square feet of living area. It sold for $895,000 in 2005.
PELICAN HARBOUR AND BEACH CLUB
Ralph and Amy Stoy, of East Jordan, Michigan, sold their Unit H-2 condominium at 4234 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Ann Mason Porter, of Cincinnati, for $740,000. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,150 square feet of living area. It sold for $430,000 in 2021.
JUNE 2-6
HARBOUR OAKS AT LONGBOAT KEY CLUB
Donald Getz and Gregory and Kellen Callanan, of Bradenton, sold their Unit 602 condominium at 2203 Harbourside Drive to Michael Anthony Liber and Julie Claire Liber, of Cincinnati, for $725,000. Built in 1984, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,352 square feet of living area. It sold for $550,000 in 2024.
FAIRWAY BAY
Patrick and Judith Mellett, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 332 condominium at 2016 Harbourside Drive to John Engquist, of Berlin, Maryland, for $555,000. Built in 1984, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,192 square feet of living area. It sold for $375,000 in 2013.
TOP BUILDING PERMITS
NEPTUNE ON LONGBOAT KEY
Clayton Terris, of Fox Point, Wisconsin, sold his Unit 12 condominium at 2850 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Michael and Rebecca Oates, of Camdenton, Missouri, for $460,000. Built in 1967, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 695 square feet of living area. It sold for $420,000 in 2023.
ONLINE
See more transactions at YourObserver.com.
Image courtesy of LeeAnn Carmack
The Longbeach home was built in 2000 and has four bedrooms and two baths.
YOUR CALENDAR
THURSDAY, JUNE 19
BE A BRAINIAC 1:30-2:30 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Boost your brainpower with an afternoon of brain-teasing games that are both fun and a boost to creative thinking. Sylvia Day from Florida Studio Theatre will lead the afternoon. Free and open to walk-ins. Call 941-383-6493.
THURSDAY, JUNE 26
GIVING THANKS
Lazy Lobster, 5350 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Lazy Lobster and Kacey’s Seafood & More are joining forces to fight hunger in the area while offering patrons some festive holiday food. Benefiting Meals on Wheels and All Faiths Food Bank of Sarasota, the restaurants are serving traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinners with all the fixings for $29. Both Kacey’s locations — 4904 Fruitville Road and 7602 Lockwood Ridge Road — are participating. The three restaurants are also offering rewards for patrons who bring at least five nonperishable food pantry items to donate from June 23-27. See LazyLobsterOfLongboat.com and KaceysSeafood.com for individual hours.
RECURRING EVENTS
TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS
LONGBOAT LIBRARY
10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 555 Bay Isles Road. Call 941-383-6493.
SUNDAYS AND MONDAYS YOGA
10-11 a.m. Sundays and 6-7 p.m. on Mondays at St. Armands Circle Park, 1 St. Armands Circle. This slow-flow yoga class is free to those 18 and older or accompanied by an adult. Bring a mat or towel and water. Register at Paige@YogaWithPaige.us or visit YogaWithPaige.us to learn more.
MONDAYS STRETCH AND STRENGTHEN
10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. This class is mostly seated and great for all fitness levels. The focus is on strength training and flexibility for balance. Suzy Brenner leads the class. Fee is $20. Walk-ins welcome. Call 941383-6493.
BEST BET
THURSDAY, JUNE 19
SHOP ’TIL
YOU DROP
4-6 p.m. at Whitney Plaza, 6838 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Kick off the summer with local businesses for an evening of mingling and shopping. Participating shops include Ventura’s Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar, Driftwood Beach and Design 2000. Call 941-9600568.
TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS
QIGONG
10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Learn all about this ancient healing art of movement and meditation. Fee is $20. Walk-ins welcome. Call 941-383-6493.
YOGA 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Debby Debile of Feel Good Yoga & Massage leads a gentle yoga class that can be done on a mat or in a chair. Cost is $20. Call 941-3836493.
FRIDAYS UP YOUR TAI CHI SKILLS
10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Certified instructor Reuben Fernandez leads a weekly intermediate tai chi class, held outdoors when weather permits. Fernandez also leads a beginner class at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays, but builds off those skills with a focus on Chen Style, Lao Ca Dija. It’s recommended to wear close-toed shoes with low heels rather than running shoes. Cost is $20. Call 941383-6493.
$15,500,000
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
FORECAST
TIDES
“GODSIG AV JNM-JAZSI. KS PYRKDS. WORS AV ROI-JAZSI. KS JUOGSWYD. BNIBSAG AV VSDW-JAZSI.
TECH START-UP by Dylan Schiff, edited by Taylor Johnson
By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past
Brian Wamback captured this photo of a vibrant sunset on Longboat Key.
