For the months of June and July, Longboat Key Turtle Watch invites members of the public to learn all about sea turtles and their nesting activities.
Volunteers trained by Mote Marine Laboratory will lead the morning walks along the shore for free, pointing out signs of turtle activity. They will also share information about their life cycle and the surrounding environment.
The first of these walks is at 6:45 a.m. Saturday. Participants meet at the public beach access point at 4795 Gulf of Mexico Drive. People of all ages can join, as long as an adult accompanies any children.
The group plans to hold these public walks every Saturday, regardless of the weather, barring thunderstorms. Visit LBKTurtleWatch.org.
Longboat Lawn Party scheduled for Dec. 6
The Kiwanis Club’s annual Longboat Key Lawn Party featuring as many as 30 restaurants will take place on Dec. 6 at Ken Thompson Park.
The event, which raises money for the Children’s Guardian Fund, will take place from noon to 2 p.m. and will provide tastes from restaurants from Longboat Key, St. Armands Circle and Sarasota. The Children’s Guardian Fund is a nonprofit that responds to the needs of children removed from abusive or neglectful homes.
Sponsorships for the event range from $2,500 to $25,000 and, depending on the sponsorship level, include patron tables, corporate banners and tents for sponsoring companies. The single ticket price is $75. Restaurants interested in participating or anyone looking for sponsorship can contact Lawn Party Chair Michael Garey at 941-383-0440.
Dana Kampa
Brian Walton, executive director of Save Our Seabirds, points out some improvements made to
Carter Weinhofer
BY
THE NUMBERS WEEK OF JUNE 5, 2025
“I like to say we’re continuously improving ourselves, 10 square feet at a time.”
Save Our Seabirds Executive Director Brian Walton Read more on page 22
Homeowners in Sarasota County can now apply for assistance to pay for damages done by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and 2024’s Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton through the Resilient SRQ Housing Recovery program, funded with federal dollars. Launched with $55 million in 2024 to aid victims of Ian, an additional $33.3 million is proposed in the county’s latest Resilient SRQ action plan submitted to federal authorities in 2025 for those affected by the 2024 storms.
Homeowners affected by any of these storms are encouraged to apply for financial assistance through the program meant to address continuing recovery needs.
Homeowners can begin by completing an online survey through ResilientSRQ.net. The survey is required to determine conditional eligibility and receive an invitation to complete the full application. Full applications will be sent to eligible homeowners on a rolling basis.
To qualify for the program, Sarasota County residents
must own the damaged home (now and at the time of the disaster), have experienced damage to the home from the disaster, use the damaged home as a primary residence (now and at the time of the disaster), maintain a mortgage in good standing or be on a payment plan in good standing, and have a household income at or below 120% of Sarasota County’s area median income. In fiscal year 2025, that threshold begins at $90,480 for households of a single person to $149,880 for a household of six.
Farewell to the final pole
The town of Longboat Key is hosting a celebration at 10:30 a.m. on June 23 to commemorate the undergrounding project’s upcoming milestone of having all utility poles removed.
Construction for the utilities undergrounding project began in 2019, and the project team encountered hurdles along the way, such as supply chain issues and diversion of resources due to storms.
Now, the town is operating entirely on the underground system after Wilco Electrical and Florida Power & Light completed all necessary service conversions and switching orders.
The project team is working throughout the island to remove the remaining overhead wires and utility poles. Simultaneously, Wilco is working to install the new backlit street signs. The latest Town Manager Brief said the backlit street signs should all be installed in about three weeks. The farewell celebration for the final pole will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, June 23 in front of the Public Safety Complex (5460 Gulf of Mexico Drive).
Fertilizer ban in effect
The town of Longboat Key’s annual summer fertilizer ban is now in effect until Sept. 30. From June 1 to Sept. 30, the town asks landscapers and homeowners to not use fertilizers containing nitrogen or phosphorus. Increased rainfall during the summer months can wash these nutrients into the surrounding waters and impact marine life and water quality. For more information or if you have questions, contact the Planning, Zoning and Building Department at 941-316-1966.
CORRECTION
The May 22 print issue of the Longboat Observer incorrectly stated in the article “Nifty 90s: On her birthday, Longboater shares advice on living a life of impact” that Leonard “Lenny” Nelson, had died. He is very much alive.
Starbucks still in brew mode
CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER
A“Coming Soon” sign pasted on the window of the proposed Longboat Key Starbucks location indicates plans are still on. The property’s LoopNet listing also confirms Starbucks as one tenant.
Building a Starbucks is allowable on Longboat Key, unlike what some may believe.
But at this property in particular, a special exception permit is required.
The CEO of Topper’s Craft Creamery and Master Licensee for Starbucks Greg Sausaman is the one behind the Longboat Key Starbucks project.
Sausaman currently oversees eight Starbucks locations and has four more in his development agreement.
The Longboat Key location would become his ninth Starbucks location.
The Sarasota-based firm Holliday Group is overseeing construction of the project and could start submitting permits as soon as next week. Sausaman said it’s taken awhile to get to the permitting stage because of the Starbucks design and review phase.
“Starbucks has this unbelievable design team, and they’re very, very thorough,” Sausaman said. “With thoroughness and attention to detail comes a little bit longer period of time.”
How long the permitting takes will determine the construction timeline, which will then determine the opening date, Sausaman said.
Sausaman previously told the Observer the 1,800-square-foot space would have a beachy feel to embody the look and feel of the community.
He also noted the location was prime in terms of visibility and traffic, including both motorists and foot traffic from the beach access point across the street.
After the news broke that a Starbucks location was planned for a mid-Key location, speculation began about how that could be possible.
Zoned as C-1 commercial, the purpose listed in the town’s code is “to delineate those areas suitable for
Plans for a Longboat Key Starbucks are in the works, but a special exception permit is necessary.
“We’re not some private equity conglomerate out of New York, and this is not just one of seven assets to squeeze money out of. We’re really going to be that community coffee house ... we’re going to know your name.”
— Greg Sausaman, CEO of Topper’s Craft Creamery and Master Licensee for Starbucks
neighborhood-serving commercial and related uses.”
Properties zoned C-1 can essential services or, with a site development plan review, things like a neighborhood convenience store, small-scale drugstore, florist shop and a laundry service.
Something like a Starbucks or any restaurant, the property owner would need to apply for a special exception.
“Generally, what a special exception means is that a use is allowed in a zoning district but is reviewed on a case-by-case basis,” said Allen Parsons, director of the town’s Planning, Zoning and Building Department.
The case would go before the town’s Planning and Zoning Board, but not the Longboat Key Town Commission. During the application process and the planning and zoning process, the applicant would need to present a case as to how the use would impact the area. The board would then review the exception based on various criteria.
“There’s a series of findings that have to be made,” Parsons said.
“Things that are looked at are how the use may impact the surrounding environment, how parking is handled, screening and buffering and compatibility.”
Parsons said the process could take
THE FIRST CHAINS
Before Starbucks, there was Publix.
two or three months after filing the exception. As of May 29, there is no submitted application, but Parsons confirmed his department reached out to the contractor to let them know of the requirement.
“We have not heard anything. And it’s surprising, too. Especially to see that signage saying ‘Coming Soon,’ so it sounds like they’re still wanting to have that use there,” Parsons said.
Like the Town Commission, the Planning and Zoning Board takes a summer recess, so even if the owner submits an application in June, it would not go before the Planning and Zoning Board until September at the earliest.
A Starbucks would join a shortlist of big-name stores and franchises on Longboat Key, with others being Publix, CVS and J. McLaughlin.
The town’s code does not have a restriction or prohibition against franchises or chains.
“There is no such requirement. I think a lot of people do think that’s the case,” Parsons said. “Maybe just the fact that there aren’t fast-food restaurants; maybe the assumption is that they’re not allowed. But that’s not the case.”
Parsons added there is a prohibition on drive-thrus, but not fast food or chains specifically.
The property previously housed the Turtle Coffee Bar at the 3172 Gulf of Mexico Drive space. The coffee shop closed in October 2024, according to its Facebook page.
Given the lot previously had a similar business on it and assurances he received from the landlord, Sausaman said he hopes there will not be any issues in the permitting process.
Sausaman said he understands Longboat’s “secure” stance on big names coming onto the island and is committing to being a good local neighbor.
“We’re not some private equity conglomerate out of New York, and this is not just one of seven assets to squeeze money out of,” Sausaman said. “We’re really going to be that community coffee house ... we’re going to know your name.”
Developers broke ground on a Longboat Key Publix in June 1979, with the Arvida Corp. closely attached to the project.
Arvida intended to provide the town with a luxury shopping center that would include the shopping center, property for banks and donated land for Town Hall and a library, according to Ralph Hunter’s book “From Calusas to Condominiums.”
The Longboat Key Publix store opened in 1980, with Mayor Claire Bell cutting the ribbon on the morning of June 4, 1980. The following week, Eckerd Drug Co. opened in the same shopping center. In 2008, Publix purchased the plaza for $14 million from Dead River Properties.
The property and surrounding shopping center evolved in 2012 as the Avenue of Flowers closed for the Publix rebuild of 2012. The commission approved the site-plan amendments and development at the Bay Isles-adjacent property.
The lot has a special zoning district, unlike the C-1 district where the proposed Starbucks location would be.
Still, the Publix property and Eckerd, which later would become CVS, marked the first big-name chains on Longboat Key. Later, J. McLaughlin would open a store at the Shoppes of Bay Isles. J. McLaughlin has more than 170 stores in the United States.
The commercial space at 3170-3174 Gulf of Mexico Drive will soon include a Starbucks location.
Photos by Carter Weinhofer
A Starbucks is planned to come to Longboat Key sometime in 2025 or 2026, depending on permitting and construction.
File images
This is what the original Publix looked like before the 2012 renovation.
The Longboat Key Publix opened in 1980.
Bring back the BOARDWALKS
With bids about $1 million lower than anticipated, the town will work toward reconstructing boardwalks at Durante Park and Quick Point Nature Preserve.
CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER
The recently awarded bids for boardwalk replacements at Joan M. Durante Park and Quick Point Nature Preserve were a pleasant surprise for Longboat Key’s Public Works and Finance Department. Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged the town’s public parks and recreation facilities significantly, and early estimates put the replacement costs around $2 million combined. Quick Point, Durante Park, the police-used boat lift on Broadway Street and the public dock at Linley Street remain closed because of the damage.
Original estimates were $1.2 million for Quick Point Park and $652,602 for Durante Park. The projects include boardwalk replacements of 5,210 square feet and 5,193 square feet, respectively. The town received those estimates in January, but the lowest bids for those projects were closer to $370,000 for Quick Point and $329,000 for Durante Park.
Richardson said the replacements will be complete by the end of the year, and he hopes they will be ready for next season so season residents and tourists can enjoy the parks.
Both parks’ new boardwalks are composite materials, a change that started a little over a year ago in Durante Park, when most of the park’s boardwalks were replaced for $150,000.
Quick Point’s boardwalks were wood when the hurricane damage occurred.
New composite material will be waterproof, more durable and last longer, which will benefit the parks in the long run.
The other hurricane-related projects still needed for the town’s parks and recreation facilities are the boat dock replacements at Broadway Street and Linley Street.
Both projects are complete re-dos, according to Richardson. The yearold boat lift at Broadway Street, used solely by the Longboat Key Police Department, was salvageable, but the estimated dock cost $301,235.
“The engineer recommended removing the pilings it’s on, so that’ll be a complete re-do as well, other than the boat lift materials,” Richardson said.
Not far from the Broadway Street dock is the public dock and boat ramp at Linley Street. Richardson said estimates for that project, another complete re-do, are around $444,136.
Bids for the two dock projects are due June 13, and Richardson said he assumes Sully’s will put in bids.
The four projects made up 98.7% of the Parks & Recreation Fund capital expenditures for fiscal year 2026. That was before the new, lower bids, though, when the combined total was $2,639,946.
Parks & Recreation Manager Mark Richardson said its materials were more expensive a couple of months ago, and the contractors’ time was more scarce and priced higher, but he didn’t know for sure what the reason was behind the lower bids.
During the pre-award meeting, Richardson said he ensured the firm could complete the project for the lower amount, to which the firm agreed.
Sully’s LLC, a Southwest Florida-based firm that specializes in residential, commercial and marine construction, received the bid for both projects.
“They should be getting us a schedule sometime soon to say how long it’s going to take and when they expect to start,” Richardson said. Original estimates said construction would last three to four months.
All the projects are necessary because of damage sustained during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The projects, then, are eligible for reimbursement through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Through FEMA’s Category G claims, which include parks and recreation facilities, eligible projects could receive 75% to 100% reimbursement.
The town also hopes to receive insurance money to help pay for these projects.
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Photos by Carter Weinhofer
The main observation deck of Quick Point Nature Preserve offered guests a prime view of Sarasota Bay. The structure disappeared after the hurricanes.
The Broadway Street boat dock after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
HURRICANE SEASON
IS HERE
Last year’s hurricane season dealt a devastating blow to many Longboat Key neighborhoods. Though the community is trending toward full recovery, the prediction for the upcoming season will bring high activity from the Atlantic Ocean.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest estimates predict a 60% chance of an above-average season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The national agency predicts 13 to 19 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes of a Category 3 or higher.
On April 1, the Sarasota-based Climate Adaptation Center announced its own hurricane forecast that was on par with NOAA’s: 17 named storms, 10 hurricanes and five major storms.
What Longboat should know for 2025, including best practices and how to prepare.
As Bob Bunting, CEO of the CAC, previously told the Observer, storms don’t need to be a direct hit to have a substantial impact on an area. Hurricane Helene, for example, made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region but flooded Longboat Key with three to five feet of storm surge. That’s why Longboat Key officials have put together seminars like the 2025 Longboat Key Disaster Preparedness Seminar and Fire Chief Paul Dezzi’s May 8 webinar to educate the public on how to best prepare for the hurricane season. In case you missed it, here are some of the key takeaways and things to keep in mind with the start of hurricane season:
HAVE A PLAN
It’s important to know what you’re going to do and where to go before a storm arrives.
In Dezzi’s May 8 webinar, he
stressed that staying with a relative, friend or at a hotel farther inland is the best option. Shelters are available on the mainland in Sarasota and Manatee counties, but should be a “last resort” option.
Booker High School (3201 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota) is likely the closest for Longboat’s Sarasota County residents, but a full list is available at SCGov.net.
For Manatee County residents, Seabreeze Elementary School (3601 71st St. W., Bradenton) is the closest, but more options are on MyManatee. org. If you have pets, it’s also important to check to see which shelters allow pets and to not leave pets at home on the island.
Anyone with a disability or who may struggle to get to a shelter on their own can sign up with their respective county’s medically dependent program. The sign-ups
are on the Sarasota and Manatee County websites. Under an evacuation order, the town’s emergency personnel receive notification of any medically dependent individuals on the island and will assist in getting them to safety. Dezzi mentioned in his webinar the fire department responded to several fire calls after Helene and Milton that resulted from saltwater corroding electric batteries in electric vehicles, tools and wheelchairs. He reminded community members to move cars, especially electric vehicles, to higher ground, preferably offisland, and to store battery-powered tools in high places.
Whether evacuating to a shelter or a relative’s house, take the essentials, plus some things that may not be as obvious.
Cash, important documents like insurance cards, medicine, hygiene supplies, first-aid equipment, flashlights, backup glasses, clothing and nonperishable goods are essential, and other objects, such as books or things to do while evacuating can be good to include in a “go bag.”
TAKE EVACUATION PROTOCOL
SERIOUSLY
The town of Longboat Key collaborates closely with both Manatee and Sarasota counties during emergency situations, but the town follows Sarasota County’s procedures during hurricanes.
MONTHLY SANDBAG OPERATIONS
The town of Longboat Key will hold monthly sandbag operations at the station near the Broadway Street public beach access point (100 Broadway St.). Members of the Public Works team will be at the sandbag station from 8-11 a.m. on the following days: n June 5 n July 3 n Aug. 7 n Sept. 4 Households are eligible for up to 10 sandbags with proof of residency.
Any important information will push through the town’s Alert Longboat Key system. To register, go to LongboatKey.org and click the “Alert Longboat Key” button at the top of the page.
When the town issues an evacuation order, follow it. Emergency personnel will not respond to calls when winds reach 45 mph, and when the storms get that severe, the police and fire rescue departments will station themselves off-island.
When the storm passes, the town’s first-in team will assess the situation. This includes Public Works staff, first responders and other essential personnel.
This year, the town is changing its island reentry protocol and using pre-distributed decals.
Relief workers, essential business employees and condominium or homeowner association managers will receive green stickers. This tier, known as Tier 2, will be allowed in after the first-in team deems it safe.
Tier 3 will follow shortly Tier 2, and will open the island to residents and business owners. Those individuals will receive a red sticker for the 2025 year.
To get a sticker, visit the Longboat Key Town Hall, police department, fire rescue stations, public works building or Planning Zoning and Building Department.
File image
Hurricane Milton made landfall on Oct. 9, 2024.
SATURDAY, MAY 24
NOT BEACH PARKING
3:58 p.m., 6400 block of Gulfside Road
Trespassing: A homeowner called the police to report that four to five people were trespassing on her property to get to the beach. While en route, the responding officer spoke to the homeowner on the phone. She was not at home because of severe damage from last year’s hurricanes, but neighbors alerted her to people using her driveway to access the beach.
Upon arrival, the officer spotted multiple vehicles parked in the caller’s driveway and tracks leading from the vehicles to a group of people on the beach. The beachgoers said they did not have permission to park at the residence and admitted they parked there because they thought the house was condemned.
After confirming no one in the party had an active warrant, the officer asked the homeowner how she would like to proceed, and she said she simply wanted them to leave. The beachgoers complied and avoided a formal trespass warning.
SUNDAY, MAY 25
NO PARKING AUTHORITY
HERE
2:22 p.m., 6900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Illegal Parking: A concerned citizen called the police about a parking lot filled with 80 vehicles, which the caller claimed were illegally parked. The officer advised the complainant that the lot is privately owned, therefore, the police do not have the authority to enforce parking in the lot.
FRIDAY, MAY 23
SUSPICIOUS WHITE POWDER
11:30 p.m., 200 block of Sands Point Road
Lost/Found Property: Dispatch sent a Longboat Key officer to investigate some property found by a staff member at a local restaurant. At the scene, the officer met with the manager, who said they found a brown wallet with credit cards and a small, clear plastic bag containing a white substance she believed to be cocaine. The officer identified the wallet owner by the driver’s license and discovered the owner was staying at the resort. The staff and the police officer went to the man’s room and returned his wallet, but he claimed the white substance was not his. The substance was taken by the officer to be disposed of properly.
Property values rise again
Notable projects like the St. Regis Longboat Key sparked a 5.39% increase in property values in 2025.
THROUGH THE YEARS
Longboat Key’s property values for the following fiscal years:
n
n
n
$6.10 billion
$6.16 billion
n
$5.96 billion
$5.74 billion
$5.46 billion
n 2016:
$5.19 billion
MONDAY, MAY 26
SWIMMER SAVED FROM CURRENT
STUMBLING OFF TO THE SUNSET
7:21 p.m., 2800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious Person: After a resident called to report a suspicious person, the responding officer met with the caller, who said he had watched someone fall and stumble to her vehicle, and he believed she was impaired. The officer found the suspicious person, who was not showing any signs of impairment, according to the officer. She said she was there to watch the sunset, and the officer let her go on her way.
3:10 p.m., La Lenaire Drive Marine Rescue: Officers on marine patrol noticed a man being swept out by a strong current near the Longboat Pass Bridge. The officers reached the man in seconds and pulled him onto the marine patrol vessel. He said he was very tired from trying to swim through the current, and he couldn’t get back to his vessel, which was more than 100 yards away. The officers returned him to his vessel before responding to a vessel in distress nearby.
Father’s Day
CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER
On June 1, the town of Longboat Key received the preliminary property estimates from Manatee and Sarasota County property appraisers and, once again, saw a combined increase in property values.
Property values combined from both counties rose 5.39% from 2024 to 2025, from $9.2 billion to $9.7 billion. According to Finance Director Sue Smith, that increase would generate about $930,000 in revenue using the town’s mill rate.
Last year, the town’s property values increased about 10.39%, generating an additional $1,580,544 in tax revenue.
The operating mill rate in FY24 and FY25 was 1.96. This does not include the facility debt and beach debt rates, the latter of which is different for gulf side and bayside properties.
When looking at the counties individually, though, Manatee County property values decreased by 11.15%, from $2.96 billion to $2.63 billion.
Smith assumed this decrease had to do with the impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, given the north end saw more property damage than the Sarasota County side.
“The storms took a beating on the Manatee side of things,” Smith said.
OVERALL INCREASE
The Sarasota County side of Longboat Key, however, saw a significant growth in property values, largely because the St. Regis Longboat Key property was added to the tax roll for 2025. One of the most expensive condominiums in the St. Regis sold in 2024 for $21.24 million.
Sarasota County values rose 13.26%, from $6.23 billion to $7.1 billion. There was also $521 million in new construction in Sarasota County in 2025, whereas Manatee County had $30 million in new construction.
These estimates will help Smith and the rest of the finance department refine the FY26 budget and progress toward adoption in October.
The next budget workshop is at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, June 23, at the Longboat Key Town Hall (501 Bay Isles Road).
Below are the taxable property values in Manatee and Sarasota counties for Longboat Key, including new construction.
The Town of Longboat Key is accepting applications for appointment to the following board:
The Town of Longboat Key is accepting applications for appointment to the following board:
Consolidated Retirement System Board of Trustees
All applications must be submitted to the Office of the Town Clerk by 12:00 p.m. on June 11, 2025 All applicants must be registered voters of the Town of Longboat Key. Late applications will be held for one year for any future board or committee vacancies that may arise.
All applications must be submitted to the Office of the Town Clerk by 12:00 p.m. on June 11, 2025. All applicants must be registered voters of the Town of Longboat Key. Late applications will be held for one year for any future board or committee vacancies that may arise.
All appointed individuals are required to file a financial disclosure form within 30 days after appointment and annually thereafter for the duration of the appointment as required by Florida Statutes Chapter 112.
All appointed individuals are required to file a financial disclosure form within 30 days after appointment and annually thereafter for the duration of the appointment as required by Florida Statutes Chapter 112.
The Town Commission may schedule a Meet and Greet with applicants at a later date Please call the Office of the Town Clerk at 941-316-1999 to request an application or for any questions. Applications are also available online at www.longboatkey.org Completed applications may be submitted to:
The Town Commission may schedule a Meet and Greet with applicants at a later date. Please call the Office of the Town Clerk at 941-316-1999 to request an application or for any questions. Applications are also available online at www.longboatkey.org. Completed applications may be submitted to:
Town of Longboat Key – Office of the Town Clerk 501 Bay Isles Road Longboat Key, FL 34228
Stephanie Garcia, Deputy Town Clerk II
Town of Longboat Key – Office of the Town Clerk 501 Bay Isles Road Longboat Key, FL 34228
Published: 05-28-2025, 06-04-2025
Stephanie Garcia, Deputy Town Clerk II
Published: 05-29-2025, 06-05-2025
Image via Realtor.com
The Residences at The St. Regis Longboat Key is at 1591 Gulf of Mexico Drive.
Actually, we’re in safe zone
Over a 125-year period, Manatee and Sarasota counties have been among the safest coastal counties in Florida when it comes to hurricanes.
The 2025 hurricane season has begun, and, no doubt, you, your neighbors and friends have all said: “I hope we don’t have another season like 2024.”
Odds are pretty good we won’t. Sarasota had its 100-year hurricane last year with Hurricane Milton, making landfall on Siesta Key. And, yes, we took additional shellackings with Hurricanes Debby and Helene.
But if you look at the accompanying map and table, the probabilities of a 2024 repeat for Sarasota and Manatee counties look low.
In fact, overall, you can say Manatee and Sarasota counties have been among the safest coastal counties in Florida in the past 125 years when it comes to direct hits. Until Hurricane Helene brought 140 mph winds, Taylor County, in the elbow of the Big Bend, was Florida’s least hit coastal county.
Unfortunately, thanks to Hurricane Milton, Sarasota County is slightly less safe. It now falls in the 10-12 “strike” category. And even though the barrier island communities of Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria all suffered horribly from Helene and Milton, over the past 125 years Manatee falls in the category of having five to six “strikes,” according to analyst Robert Allison of SAS. That puts Manatee among the 12 coastal counties that have experienced the fewest hurricane landfalls in 125 years.
The safest coastal county? Up until last year, that was Taylor County, up in the Big Bend. Hurricane Helene made landfall just southwest of Perry in Taylor County on the night of Sept. 26 with peak Category 4 winds of 140 mph. That moves Taylor County into the three to four strikes category.
Perhaps take some solace in this as well: As you peruse the list of Notable Florida Hurricanes, note
WHERE HURRICANES STRUCK, 1900-2010
SAFEST COASTAL COUNTIES
West Coast
1st place (tied): Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie, Citrus, Pasco
2nd place (tied): Levy, Hernando, Manatee East Coast
1st place (tied): Nassau, Duval, St. Johns 2nd place: Flagler
NOTABLE FLORIDA HURRICANES
Great
Charley
RESILIENCE
Change in population from hurricane year to two years later.
(Andrew, 1992)
(Charley, 2004)
that in the past 100 years, there has been only one two-year period of consecutive strikes — 2004 and 2005.
None of us, of course, knows whether any of that data matters,
because none of us knows how Mother Nature is going to treat us from year to year. That’s why parishioners at St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church on Longboat Key always recite the Hurricane Safety Prayer at the end of each day’s Mass (reprinted for your use).
You can say this: The author of the prayer, the late Bishop Maurice Schexnayder of Lafayette, Louisiana, has it right where the prayer refers to our memories of hurricanes always being so vivid and “whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time.”
Many Sarasota and Manatee residents are still hurting and trying to recover from the awful trifecta of Debby, Helene and Milton. And most of us probably know of someone who decided he or she has had enough of the hurricanes and has decided to leave the state.
HURRICANE PRAYER
The following prayer is recited at each Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church on Longboat Key during hurricane season.
O God, Master of this passing world, Hear the humble voices of your children.
The Sea of Galilee obeyed Your order And returned to its former quietude.
You are still the Master of land and sea.
We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control.
The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, Can awake from its seeming lethargy,
Overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land, And spread chaos and disaster.
During this hurricane season, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid And whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time.
O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our beloved Mother, We ask you to plead with your Son on our behalf, So that spared from the calamities common to this area And animated with a true spirit of gratitude, We will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son
To reach the heavenly Jerusalem, where a stormless eternity awaits us. Amen.
Written by the Most Rev. Maurice Schexnayder (1895-1981), second bishop of Layfayette, Louisiana, after Hurricane Audrey in 1957, which killed 416 people.
But take heart. Florida and Floridians are resilient. Although hurricane season always brings one, two or three doozies through the state or on the edge of our coasts, Florida always comes back.
One yardstick for that can be seen in population growth.
When you analyze the effects of Hurricane Andrew in 1992 in Miami-Dade, Hurricane Charley in 2004 in Charlotte County and Hurricane Ian in 2022 in Lee County, the same thing occurred.
In the year after the major hurricane, population declined. But in the following year, it popped back up — and even surpassed the total population that existed in the year of the hurricane.
Floridians have survived hurricanes from the beginning of time. This year will be no different — God willing.
“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944
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Courtesy of the National Archives:
“This photograph, entitled, “Into the jaws of death,” is one of the most well-known and evocative of the photographs taken on D-Day during the Normandy landings. It shows the soldiers of Company E, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division as they landed on Omaha Beach on the morning of the initial invasion wave.
The image captures the first moments after the soldiers left the landing craft, as they waded through heavy surf, dodged deadly artillery and machine gun fire, and encountered mines and other obstacles as they attempted to move ashore to capture and take position on the beach.
The photograph is credited to Robert F. Sargent, chief photographer’s mate (CPhoM), U.S. Coast Guard.
According to the National Coast Guard Museum, CPhoM Sargent, a veteran of the earlier invasions of Sicily and Salerno, took the image from his landing craft at sector “Easy Red” of Omaha Beach around 7:40 a.m. local time.
MATT WALSH
Robert Allison, SAS Blogs, 2017
ISRAEL: A Love story
Lots of people told me going to Israel would be a life-changing trip. They were right.
the country called Nir Oz. This kibbutz — Oz translates to strength in Hebrew and is pronounced like the last syllable of Oreos — was decimated Oct. 7, 2023, when the terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel. About 25% of Nir Oz’s 400 residents were either killed or taken hostage Oct. 7. Several, my group of people from Sarasota and I later learned, were burned alive in their homes — including children. Maybe it was the red-andwhite baby’s pacifier sitting on a recliner amid a house of debris that brought the tears. Or maybe it was the first thing I saw that day, April 28: three bullet holes the size of nickels in a glass door that led to the kibbutz community center. Or it could have been the mailroom a few feet behind those shattered doors. That’s where some 400 gold mailboxes sat. If
you were murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7, your mailbox had a red sticker. Black stickers were placed on mailboxes of people kidnapped who hadn’t come home — even after 569 days. One of every four mailboxes was either red or black.
It’s hard to use the word highlight when describing what I saw and felt in Nir Oz that day. But, back in Sarasota for a few weeks and the trip having marinated in my mind for a bit, it’s what I think of first when people ask me: How was your Israel trip? It’s Nir Oz. And those tears.
BIG TRIP
I’ve long wanted to go to Israel.
I’m proud of being Jewish, proud that my wife, Elyse, and I have raised our son, Aaron, in a Jewish household, proud he has embraced both the religious and cultural aspects of being a Jew. There’s a phrase many Jews say at the end of a Passover Seder dinner, “Next Year in Jerusalem,” meaning, basically, a wish that someday all Jews can live and prosper in Israel and Jerusalem. I took that phrase literally — thinking I will do it “next year.” But I never did.
So when Sarasota entrepreneur and philanthropist Deb Kabinoff, who is also board chair of the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, called me Feb. 20 and asked if I would like to join her, Federation CEO Shep Englander and a dozen or so other local residents and FOIs (friends of Israel) on a mission trip to Israel in late April, my answer, in a word, was yes.
The trip was designed to coincide with three significant Israeli holidays: Holocaust Remembrance Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day. The goal of the trip was to show Israelis that Americans, and Floridians, sup-
port Israel more than ever after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, where 1,200 people were slaughtered and 251 were kidnapped.
But my desire to go to Israel was about more than being proud to be Jewish.
It was also a way, I thought, to enhance my pro-Israel/Zionist voice. I’ve long had the belief that Israel’s right to exist, to defend itself against all enemies, is just as sacred as any other country. But in the days, weeks and months after Oct. 7, with the rapid rise of antisemitism, especially on social media, in big cities and on college campuses, the need for people defending Israel is pressing. (Consider how many U.S. college campuses have become hotbeds of anti-Israel demonstrations and protests. From UCLA to Harvard and Stanford to Columbia, they chant and scream fact-deficient slogans of ignorance. Sometimes, it’s phony calls of genocide. Often, it’s chants of
SPEAK UP
Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee CEO Shep Englander, writing in the Sarasota Jewish News in its June-July issue, detailed his reaction to the trip. He writes, in part, “we saw the ongoing need for trauma relief and for rebuilding the Israeli economy. And we can’t forget that Israeli’s asked us to use our voice. To stand against the tidal wave of distortion, delegitimization and demonization that misrepresents Israel’s reality and strips its people of their humanity. We heard them. And we will not be silent.”
“From the River to the sea, Palestine will be free.” This anti-Jew rhyme translates to Palestine — which is not actually a country — eliminating Israel from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.)
On Dec. 6, 2023, I wrote a column for the Sarasota Observer opinion page, “What never again means to me,” after the Federation
MARK GORDON MANAGING EDITOR
The community mailbox at Nir Oz is a jarring reminder of Oct. 7. People killed by Hamas had a red sticker on their mailbox. People who were kidnapped got a black sticker.
From left, Bruce Udell, Howard Kilman, Mark Gordon and David Fried outside Leket Israel, the country’s largest food bank.
Photos by Mark Gordon
invited me to meet an Israeli official and watch a never-before-seen video about the Oct. 7 atrocities. At the time, I hesitated: I’m a business news editor and reporter, having worked for the Business Observer and the Observer Media Group for 20 years. Why would people want to hear what I think about a country 6,633 miles from Sarasota?
But the response to that column was resounding reassurance. I received texts and emails for days, from strangers and friends, thanking me for using this platform to defend Israel. More validation: That column won the 2024 Sally Latham Memorial Award from the Florida Press Association, the top honor in the serious column category.
CARRY THE FLAG
Now back in Sarasota for a bit, I’ve been thinking a lot about my pro-Israel voice, why I feel it’s more important than ever to speak up and to share the stories people we met on those 12 days — what I am calling the tour of heroes and heartbreak.
We saw, and heard from, lots of both.
Heroes like Ori. He’s a 20-something tank commander in the Israeli Defense Forces we met. He drove nine hours in a tank, on the streets of the country, desperate to get from the north to the south the night of Oct. 7 and engage the enemy. His unit rescued a family of four being held hostage.
Then there was our tour security guard, Yair, another hero. Like Ori, he has an acute sense of his why and why Israel matters. He was one of five or six soldiers I met — most only a few years older than Aaron, our almost 17-year-old — who doesn’t look at mandatory IDF service as a have-to chore. He looks at it like a get-to, that he gets to defend and protect his country. Yair told us how, when he read on WhatsApp that terrorists had infiltrated his girlfriend’s apartment community Oct. 7, he got there fast. Then he engaged with the terrorists, where, he told us, he “took two of them out.”
Back in Nir Oz, we met another hero: Yossi. He lives in Nir Oz and was our tour guide. Yossi told us he’s part of a nine-person QRF — quick reactionary force — Nir Oz set up to respond to situations like Oct. 7. Like Ori and Yair, Yossi defended his family and home Oct. 7. He told us a harrowing story of, after killing several terrorists during the attack, he was in his home’s safe room with his wife and three children. His mother-in-law, who had been shot by Hamas and was hiding in trees and bushes, saw Yossi go into
the home. She soon followed. She knocked on the door of the safe room. But Yossi’s wife, at first, pleaded with him to not open the door: What if it’s a trick, she told her husband, and this was Hamas holding her mom at gunpoint to get access to the safe room. Yossi eventually did — slowly — open the door, weapon pointing forward. His mother-in-law, it turned out, was alone. She survived. We met her that day. On that tour, Englander, CEO of the Federation, noticed a torn and tattered Israeli flag hanging outside Yossi’s house. Englander asked Yossi, disbelievingly, “in the middle of all this (fighting) you stopped to put back up the flag of Israel?” Yossi answered quickly and somewhat matter-of-factly: Of course he picked up the flag. And of course he hung it back up. “You can’t see the flag,” he said, “from the ground.”
houses in the kibbutz Nir Oz in Southern Israel were decimated Oct. 7, 2023. On April 28, 2025, most homes remained unoccupied, with the contents unchanged since the Oct. 7 attacks.
Photos by Mark Gordon
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Circus Arts Conservatory cofounder Pedro Reis stepped down from management of the circus nonprofit this past November, but as production strategist, he still is responsible for producing the CAC’s tentpole events, such as the Summer Circus Spectacular.
Bringing star performers from all over the globe to Sarasota is getting harder, with longer waits for U.S. visas, and increased scrutiny at border crossings and airports. For the CAC’s Circus Sarasota, held this year from Feb. 15 to March 9, Reis was intent on hosting a troupe of Ethiopian acrobats, but they couldn’t get into the U.S. in time for the show.
IF YOU GO
SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR
When: June 13 through Aug. 9
Where: The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road
Tickets: $20; $15
children 15 and under. Admission to the Circus Museum is $5 on the day of the show.
Info: Visit Ringling. org or call 941360-7399.
“Getting into the country is more challenging and difficult than before,” Reis says.
Even though he didn’t get his Ethiopian artists back in February, he was able to book a troupe of female Ethiopian acrobats called Trio Black Diamond for the Summer Circus Spectacular, which starts June 13.
Trio Black Diamond has wowed audiences across Europe, including at the Monte Carlo Circus Festival and Saint Paul Dax in France.
“I think our audiences are really going to enjoy Trio Black Diamond,” Reis says. “That’s what it’s really all about, thrilling the audiences and bringing them back year after year.”
The Summer Circus Spectacular also includes “America’s Got Talent” finalist Aidan Brant on aerial straps, speed juggler Nilson Escobar, Sian España on the German Wheel and Zeman Quick Change, a husbandand-wife team whose lightning-fast costume switches stun audiences.
There are no animals in the Summer Circus Spectacular, but some traditional elements of the circus remain. You can’t have a circus without a ringmaster (CAC employee Jared Walker) and a clown (Juan Carlos Valencia).
A Florida native, Walker has had a long career as an actor, director and choreographer. He came to Sarasota in 2004 to play Fred Casely in “Chicago” and stayed on. The mag
been creative director for the Sailor Circus Academy, the CAC’s youth education arm, since 2018.
Clowns sometimes get a bad rap thanks to a sub-genre of horror movies. Presenting them to families can be tricky. For some reason, a foreign accent and a little bit of Continental flair makes the tricksters more palatable to modern audiences. Valencia, the fifth generation of a circus family, fits the bill.
As Reis casually drops the names of Ethiopia’s capital and the glamorous gaming mecca Monte Carlo in a telephone interview, it’s obvious that he knows his way around the world.
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Reis became a trapeze artist performing in Europe before making his American debut with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1984.
Together with circus royalty Dolly Jacobs, daughter of famed clown Lou Jacobs, Reis co-founded the predecessor organization to the CAC in 1987.
This is Reis’ 17th or 18th season producing the Summer Circus Spectacular at The Ringling, Reis says. He’s not sure of the exact number because one season was interrupted by renovations at The Ringling, the museum that grew out of John Ringling’s desire to leave his mansion and art collection to the people of Florida.
THE SUMMER SEASON KEEPS GETTING LONGER
What started out as a one-week show in The Ringling’s Wagon Room has since moved to the museum’s Historic Asolo Theater with a run of nine weeks this year, starting June 13.
SEE CIRCUS PAGE 12
Aerialist Aidan Bryant displays the dazzling skills that have won him international circus awards.
Courtesy images Trio Black Diamond, a female hand balance act from Ethiopia, performs at the 2025 Summer Circus Spectacular.
Sian España defies gravity on the German Wheel.
Jared Walker is the 2025 ringmaster.
Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week celebrates its 20th anniversary
Through June 20, local eateries offer $25 specials for lunch and $45 for dinner.
OBSERVER STAFF
Just call it Savor Sota. You’ve heard of the 12 Days of Christmas, right?
Well, for 20 sizzling days in June, your favorite local restaurants will offer $25 two-course lunch specials and $45 three-course dinner specials.
Sponsored by the Sarasota County tourism bureau Visit Sarasota, Savor Sarasota (its full name) Restaurant Week is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. In honor of the milestone, the event has expanded to 20 days, with more than 60 establishments participating.
Originally started as a weeklong event in 2005 to boost restaurant attendance after season ended and the snowbirds went home, Savor Sarasota expanded to two weeks in 2020, to help give eateries a lift after COVID-19 shutdowns.
What’s new about Savor Sarasota this year, in addition to the longer schedule, is a mobile passport called the Visit Sarasota Flavor Trail that can be downloaded to your phone via text or email. It allows passport holders to check in at participating restaurants. By doing so, they accumulate points to win Savor Sarasota swag.
Don’t fret if you don’t live in downtown Sarasota. Savor Sarasota is a countywide event that includes eateries on Longboat Key, Siesta Key, Lakewood Ranch, Venice and other areas within Sarasota County’s 725 square miles.
Savor Sarasota gives foodies an excuse to get out of their comfort zone. Lakewood Ranch isn’t just for the people who live in the premier planned community. Waterside Place has got some great new restaurants worth checking out. Among
them are Kore Steakhouse and Agave Bandido, which are both participating in Savor Sarasota.
Yes, it’s been hotter than usual lately, but Savor Sarasota provides an incentive to get out of the house and enjoy some cool waterfront breezes.
Just scanning names, such as Crow’s Nest, Farlow’s on the Water, Fins at Sharky’s and Pop’s Sunset Grill, makes me feel a couple of degrees cooler already.
Some people hear the names of Sarasota’s finest restaurants and are intimidated. “Oh, that’s too expensive!” or “What will I wear?” are two thoughts that may come to mind. As they say in New York, “Fuhgeddaboudit!” Lunch during Savor Sarasota is a perfect time to try out that fancy place that you normally wouldn’t set foot in.
Many of Sarasota’s most beloved restaurants are part of Savor Sarasota, including Michael’s On East, Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, Libby’s and Selva Grill Downtown.
Let Savor Sarasota beckon you into restaurants inside hotels that you might not normally think of for your dining experiences. Wink Wink is a hipster nod to Old Florida located within the Sarasota Modern Hotel. Tzeva is a Mediterranean oasis with-
IF YOU GO SAVOR SARASOTA
When: June 1-20
Where: More than 60 restaurants Tickets: $25 for twocourse lunch specials; $45 for three-course dinner specials
Info: Visit SavorSarasota.com.
Tzeva’s small plates set a family oriented dining experience.
in Art Ovation Hotel, which features the colorful works of local artists in its lobby.
Savor Sarasota diners, we’ve got one word for you: reservations! Call your desired restaurant or consult its website to see what online booking service they use, be it OpenTable, Resy or another.
Do not just show up and expect to get the prix fixe special for Savor Sarasota. Many restaurants make limited quantities of their daily specials based on reservations.
Don’t feel ashamed or cheap that you’re there for a special; most restaurants make their money from alcohol. Don’t be surprised if your server tries to “upsell” you; their tip depends on the size of the bill, so it’s in their interest for the check to be as hefty as possible.
More Savor Sarasota etiquette: Just because you’re getting the special doesn’t mean you have to nickeland-dime your server.
If you’re feeling generous and your bank account allows it, express your gratitude for a prix fixe lunch or dinner special to your server. You’ll both feel good about the bounty of Savor Sarasota.
First built in 1798 inside a palace in Asolo, Italy, the jewelbox theater’s elaborate proscenium, decorative panels and other components were purchased by The Ringling in 1949. The historic theater, which opened for Sarasota performances in 1952, has only 286 seats. The intimate setting rules out circus acts with large apparatus like the Wheel of Death.
With a running time of about an hour, the Summer Circus Spectacular caters to the short attention spans of young children and internet-addled adults. There is plenty of room in the back and along the sides for walkers and wheelchairs. It’s not unusual to see three generations of a family watching the show, a phenomenon that warms Reis’ heart.
As much as he loves the Historic Asolo Theater (dubbed the HAT, for short), Reis wants readers and ticket buyers to think of his show as the Summer Circus Spectacular at The Ringling.
Why? So they won’t mistakenly go to the nearby FSU Center for the Performing Arts, home of the Asolo Repertory Theatre, which shares a parking lot with The Ringling.
Many a tourist has ended up at the HAT, inside The Ringling, for an Asolo Rep performance, or over at FSU for a show just minutes from curtain at the HAT. It’s confusing, but if these are the worst of our problems in Sarasota, we’re quite lucky.
Circus lovers are also flummoxed when they arrive on Mondays, the day of free admission at The Ringling, to learn that while they can tour the galleries of The John and Mable Ringling Art Museum at no charge, they will have to pay full freight ($30 for adults and $5 for children 6-17) to visit the Tibbals Learning Pavilion and other circus galleries at The Ringling.
Yes, John Ringling may be turning in his grave, but only his art can be viewed for free on Mondays, not The Ringling’s Circus Museum, established in 1948 under the direction of the museum’s first director, Everett “Chick” Austin. Sorry, the rules are the rules.
Fortunately for those who want to make it a day of circus at The Ringling and who absolutely must see the world’s largest miniature circus, the
CAC and the museum have teamed up to offer Summer Circus Spectacular ticket holders access to the Circus Museum for just $5. No trip to The Ringling is complete without viewing the Howard Bros. Circus Model, created by philanthropist and circus lover Howard Tibbals. Even the most jaded tourist won’t fail to be dazzled by the sheer scope of the majestic exhibit, which consists of more than 42,000 pieces and spans 3,800 square feet. It’s reminiscent of a military model. But instead of an army taking over a city, it’s a circus in all its glory preparing its cultural occupation.
While there is plenty of Old School circus ephemera at The Ringling, there’s also a new, interactive gallery on the second floor of the Tibbals called “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Opened in April 2024, the exhibit is devoted to the modern era of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which Feld Entertainment of Palmetto acquired in 1967.
All you need is popcorn! Maybe you can eat it in the car.
Food isn’t permitted in the Historic Asolo Theater, but there is a Starbucks on the second floor of The Ringling’s entry foyer, right above the gift shop. There’s also a lovely restaurant, The Grill Room, which is participating in Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week from June 1-20. It’s offering a $25 prix fixe special for lunch and a $45 one for dinner.
With the recent addition of the holiday Wonderland circus at UTC, a collaboration between superstar aerialist Nik Wallenda and the CAC, to complement the annual Circus Sarasota in February and the Summer Circus Spectacular, some might wonder: Is there too much circus in Sarasota?
For the circus faithful, there’s never too much. Still, Reis is careful to keep the acts fresh at the events he produces, repeating artists only every four or five years.
“This is, I think, our 18th year at The Ringling,” he says. “Obviously, the recipe is working. What is it? It’s a combination of various energies — humorous, sensational, thrilling, death-defying. You are transported into another world.”
P.S. It’s air conditioned.
Asolo Repertory Theatre’s Production of
Squeaky Wheel Fringe keeps the momentum going
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
The 19th century showman P.T.
Barnum gets credit for saying,
“There’s no such thing as bad publicity,” and Megan Radish, who founded Sarasota’s Squeaky Wheel Fringe festival three years ago, would be the first to agree.
A lot of people in Florida hadn’t heard of fringe festivals until Gov. Ron DeSantis cited them during a press conference in June 2024 when he explained why he had cut $32 million in arts grants in the 2025 fiscal year.
“So you’re having your tax dollars being given in grants to things like the fringe festival, which is like a sexual festival where they’re doing all this stuff,” DeSantis said in Polk County.
His words helped put Florida’s four fringe festivals — Orlando, Fort Myers, Tampa and Sarasota — in the spotlight. The festivals, which run back to back, with Orlando kicking off on May 13 this year and Tampa wrapping on June 22, are enjoying the added publicity. Their management has drawn closer since their perceived dangers were highlighted, Radish says.
Sarasota’s Squeaky Wheel Fringe festival runs from June 3-10 at the Jane B. Cook Theatre in FSU Center for Performing Arts. Last year’s festival sold 750 tickets, Radish said, a 20% increase over its premiere event in 2023. She expects the growth to continue, especially with the greater visibility that fringe has gained.
Radish is a Florida native who worked in regional theater for nearly a decade before forming Squeaky Wheel Theatre Group, the festival’s producer, in 2020. She didn’t take the governor’s words as an insult.
“I think that statement was made from a position of not understand-
ing,” Radish said in an interview. “If he saw the greater picture of what fringe is, the narrative would be different. Yes, we are uncensored. We believe that art shouldn’t have boundaries on it. But I’ve seen worse in R-rated movies.”
All four of Florida’s fringe festivals, of which Sarasota is the newest, owe their existence to Edinburgh. The granddaddy of all fringe festivals, Edinburgh got its start in Scotland in 1947 and has been going strong ever since.
So what is a fringe festival, anyway? It’s described by Radish as a “smorgasbord” of performances that are uncensored. And it’s not one type of performance. It can be drama, dance, comedy, music or all of the above.
Still, fringe isn’t for everyone.
Perhaps fringe festival veteran Keith Alessia, who came to town last year with “Tomatoes Tried to Kill But Banjos Saved My Life,” put it best. “Fringe is some of the best stuff you will ever see and some of the worst,”
he said in an interview with the Observer.
Some fringe festivals use a lottery system to make their selections, but Squeaky Wheel relies on a group of adjudicators to decide who makes the cut. This year, there will be seven shows. All tickets cost less than $19 before fees, including a $4 charge to defray festival costs.
Artists are responsible for promoting their shows, but they get to keep the proceeds from the performances.
SEARCHING FOR THE UNIVERSAL IN THE PERSONAL
Many fringe shows, which generally run about an hour, tell personal stories that their creators hope will resonate with wider audiences.
Such is the case with Terrance Jackson’s show, “Did You Not Know?” The title comes from a conversation Jackson had with his stepmom in December 2021 when he learned that his father had passed away nearly a year earlier.
Jackson, a native of Sarasota who went to Booker High School’s Visual and Performing Arts program, recently returned to town to become director of education and engagement at Asolo Repertory Theatre.
Prior to that, he spent five years at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, where he held a variety of roles.
In “Did You Not Know?” Jackson plays eight characters, including his mom and his stepmom, in what he calls a “love letter to Sarasota.” Working with his director, Cat Brindisi, he’s tried to create “something respectful.”
Says Jackson, “I hope audiences will see themselves in one of the characters. It’s important to not point any fingers. My stepmom was doing the best that she thought she could.”
Other familiar faces in the Squeaky Wheel Fringe lineup include Tania Vergara Perez of the Endedans Contemporary Ballet, who is presenting “The Paradox of the Mirror.” Drawing inspiration from Cuban artist Guillermo López González’s depiction of a mangrove, the work combines dance, video and painting to explore time, identity and memory.
Another dance-oriented program on the lineup is “Mamá Mala,” a onewoman bilingual dance theater piece that incorporates standup comedy.
First presented in January at the Historic Asolo Theater in a Micro WIP (Works In Progress) show through The Ringling’s Art of Performance series, “Mamá Mala” comes to Squeaky Wheel Fringe more fully embodied.
Starring dancer Ivonne Batanero, a veteran of Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre in Miami, the performance reflects Batanero’s growth as an artist while coping with the responsibility that comes with being a mother.
In between dancing in Miami and moving to Sarasota in 2024, Batanero spent three years in Costa Rica, where she interviewed women from varying backgrounds and nationalities about motherhood. Although she drew from the experiences of other women to create her character, who is a standup comedian, “Mamá Mala” is also deeply personal.
“It’s kind of playing around with the complexities of womanhood and motherhood. There are the sacrifices and the inevitable imperfections as you try to get it right. It’s trial and error,” she says.
Although “Mamá Mala” is set in the 1980s, it’s not a linear story, Batanero says. Helping to set the mood in the dance theater performance and usher in scene transitions is a soundtrack created by Kenra White with background noise, voices and songs.
Some troupes enjoyed their run in the 2024 edition of the Squeaky Wheel Fringe so much that they’ve come back for more. The Improvisational Repertory Theatre Ensemble of New York City, who presented “The Lonely Death of L. Harris” last year, returns with the intriguingly titled show, “Wow Wee! Adventures of a Little Girl Killbot Christmas Special!” Defined as a “post-apocalyptic ’80s sitcom Christmas Special,” the improvised performance follows the Truman family and their girl robot as they search for the true meaning of Christmas while the world is ending. Based on the description and the experience of its performers, we’re going to go out on a limb and declare “Little Girl Killbot” a prototypical “fringe” show, sight unseen. Maybe some folks can come down from Tallahassee and find the true meaning of fringe, right here in Sarasota.
Image courtesy of Rod Millington
With “Mamá Mala,” dancer/choreographer Ivonne Batanero explores the conflicting feelings of motherhood June 6-7 at the Squeaky Wheel Fringe festival.
THURSDAY
SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL:
TESSA LARK RETURNS
4:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail
$30-$43
Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
This concert brings Sarasota Music Festival Director Jeffrey Kahane, violinist/fiddler Tessa Lark and cellist Mike Block together again to re-create some of the improvisational magic of last year’s festival. The trio will perform together on Improvisation on an Old English Folk Song and on Clarke’s Piano Trio. The program also includes “The Jet Whistle” by Villa-Lobos, featuring Alex Sopp on flute and Karen Ouzounian, another favorite from the 2024 festival, on cello. Rounding out the program is Michi Wiancko’s “Fantasia for Tomorrow” featuring Lark on violin and Paul Neubauer on viola. The festival continues through June 21.
LEANNE MORGAN: JUST GETTING STARTED
7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$56-$137
Visit VanWezel.org
Comedian Leanne Morgan rose to fame with her Netflix special “I’m Every Woman,” combining Southern charm with relatable humor. Her “Just Getting Started” tour is an ironic milestone on a 25-year career and has recently taken her to premier venues such as the Chicago Theatre and Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Runs through June 6.
SQUEAKY WHEEL FRINGE FESTIVAL: ‘WORTHY SOULS’
7 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
$12.62 plus fees
Visit SqueakyWheelTheatre.org.
A new folk rock musical by Rex Willis, “Worthy Souls” follows a day in the
DON’T MISS
‘JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR’
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 promises to be of biblical proportions in more ways than one. Look for Sarasota’s own Ann Morrison, Mary in the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along,” as King Herod. Runs through June 28.
IF YOU GO
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 5
Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
Tickets: $35-$95. Info: Visit AsoloRep.org.
THIS WEEK
life of a homeless man named Skye in a show that alternates humor and sorrow. Repeats June 7.
‘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: 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 by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Supremes and others with songs like “Tracks of My Tears,” “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “Stop! In the Name of Love.” Through Aug. 3.
‘DIVAS: TIME AFTER TIME’
8 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St.
$37-$39
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
New to Sarasota? We’ve got two words for you: Jannie Jones. When Jones is performing at Florida Studio Theatre, run to the Court Cabaret. She is one-third of the trio performing in FST’s new cabaret show, “Divas: Time After Time.” The other gifted singers are Aja Goes and Dakota Mackey-McGee. Firsttimers to FST’s cabaret shows leave the show amazed that there is such talent here in our laid-back beach town. Runs through June 22.
SQUEAKY WHEEL FRINGE
FESTIVAL: ‘THE PARADOX OF THE MIRROR’
8:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the
$14.70 Visit SqueakyWheelTheatre.org.
Choreographed by Tania Vergara Perez for Endedans Contemporary Ballet, “The Paradox of the Mirror” combines dance, video and painting to explore the themes of time, identity and memory. The work draws inspiration from Cuban artist Guillermo López González’s depiction of the mangrove and its diverse forms. Runs through June 6.
FRIDAY
IN THE ROUND:
A SUMMER INTENSIVE
7 p.m. at Sarasota Contemporary Dance, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts, Suite 300
$20 Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance. org.
In the Round gives rising choreographers from across the country selected by SCD’s Artistic Staff a chance to set a work in progress during Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s Summer Intensive. The choreographers are given feedback during the performance from audience members led by SCD Artistic Director Leymis Bolaños Wilmott.
JIM LAUDERDALE
7 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court
$32 Visit WSLR.org.
Jim Lauderdale’s the real deal. He’s been part of the country music scene since he released his debut album in 1991 and began writing
songs for country stars. Over the years, the North Carolina native has worked with artists such as Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Emmylou Harris and Elvis Costello. He has also won two Grammys and released 34 albums. His latest LP, “Game Changer,” was recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville and includes a mix of songs he’s written over the years.
‘FROM 145TH TO 98TH STREET’ 7:30 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St. $30-$44 Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.
Urbanite Theatre wraps its season with Nia Akilah Robinson’s world premiere, “From 145th to 98th Street,” which follows a Black family’s
move to a better neighborhood in search of a better life for their children. The American Dream proves elusive when the family’s son is wrongfully accused of a crime committed by someone with the same name. But the power of family prevails in this realistic tale of New York City life sure to resonate with all audiences. Runs through June 29.
SQUEAKY WHEEL FRINGE FESTIVAL: ‘MAMÁ MALA’
10 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $12.62 plus fees Visit SqueakyWheelTheatre.org.
Dancer Ivonne Batanero brings a meditation on motherhood she premiered in January at The Ringling’s Art of Performance Micro WIP (Works In Progress) series to the Squeaky Wheel Fringe Festival. The bilingual piece crosses genres by incorporating standup comedy and dance with a soundtrack of music and noise. Repeats June 7.
SATURDAY
SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL: BEETHOVEN AND SHOSTAKOVICH
7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $29-$72 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
Conductor Stephanie Childress returns with a captivating program featuring Armenian American composer Mary Kouyoumdjian’s Tagh (Diary) of an Immigrant, Shostakovich’s popular Second Piano Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, the last symphony he composed in the style of Mozart.
SUNDAY
PUCCINI’S ‘MADAMA BUTTERFLY’
1:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$20
Visit SarasotaOpera.org.
It’s not that often that you get to watch a high-definition film of an opera in a real opera house. Sarasota Opera kicks off its summer HD at the Opera House series with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” The heartbreaking tale of an ill-fated romance between a Japanese geisha and an American naval officer features Kevin John Edusei conducting the Royal Opera House orchestra and chorus.
Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
HD at the Opera House presents Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” on Sunday, June 8.
Image courtesy of Sorcha Augustine
Slimani Slates, Aiel Blue and Brian D. Coates star in “From 145th to 98th Street,” which runs through June 29 at Urbanite Theatre.
Courtesy images
SQUEAKY WHEEL FRINGE
FESTIVAL: ‘DID YOU NOT KNOW?’
7 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $14.70 plus fees Visit SqueakyWheelTheatre.org.
“Did You Not Know?” is a one-man show starring Asolo Repertory Theatre Director of Education Terrance Jackson, who plays eight characters. A Sarasota native and Booker VPA alum, Jackson recently returned to his hometown after a stint as director of outreach at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. Cat Brindisi directs.
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 first American to win the grand prize at the Venice Biennale, Rauschenberg set the stage for the Pop Art movement. The exhibition includes works that 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. 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 the late Beatle would approve of this living tribute. Runs through June 29.
WEDNESDAY
SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL:
LEVIN LECTURE
1 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $15-$25 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
Former Sarasota Music Festival
Director Robert Levin, a renowned expert on improvisation in classical
OUR PICK
SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL: FROM BACH TO BLOCK
From Bach to Block includes Shostakovich’s 1944 composition Piano Trio No. 2, which he dedicated to a friend who recently died. But the program doesn’t dwell entirely on sorrow. Also on the bill of the concert being performed by Sarasota Music Festival faculty and fellows are Bach’s joyful Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, and cellist Mike Block’s Global Music Collaboration, giving audiences another taste of the spontaneity that was such a hit in last year’s festival. Festival runs through June 21.
IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 6 Where: Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. Tickets: $29-$53 Info: Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
music, delivers his annual lecture. The topic hasn’t been announced, but it’s a safe bet that Levin will challenge SMF Fellows and audiences alike with his knowledge of music history and theory. Festival continues through June 21.
Mike Block
Courtesy image
Robert Levin delivers his annual lecture June 11.
YOUR NEIGHBORS
TIME IN SERVICE
Navy veteran reflects on 20 years of service.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
People throughout Longboat Key found a multitude of ways to pay tribute to the sacrifices those in the military have made to protect their country. On Memorial Day, that recognition included a place setting honoring the fallen soldier at Longboat Harbour Condominiums.
A single red rose, adorned with a ribbon, sat at the empty table.
The table plaque read, “This table is reserved to honor our brave and selfless American military members who have perished on the battlefield, those who have not been returned to us after being taken prisoner on foreign soil and for those who went missing and have not found their way back home.”
Those in attendance took time to remember fellow service members and reflect on their own time working with the military.
Resident Bob Geraci served as a captain in the U.S. Navy as an anesthesiologist for 20 years. Accompanied by his wife, Grace, he attended the program at Longboat Harbour for the first time this year, whereas the couple would typically head north for the season.
“I had a very unusual service with the Navy,” Geraci said. “When I got through with medical school and my residency and was ready to go out into the field, the Vietnam War was going on.”
Geraci said he and his newly
trained peers shared concerns about the timing of potentially being drafted. So, he signed on for two years of service, as long as he could finish his medical training.
“They put me right to work,” he said. “I did what I was trained to do — see patients.”
He worked primarily at a naval hospital in Virginia, but he also worked in a mobile operating unit, which included a small team of surgical experts in orthopedics, anesthesiology, nurses and more.
“They could go anywhere in a pinch,” he added. They traveled to an island off Cuba, where they set up an operating room aboard their ship to serve injured soldiers who otherwise would have to travel home for more extensive medical care.
Geraci remembers helping one young man who suffered a grenade injury to the hand when he struggled to throw the weapon after pulling the pin.
“I felt for this kid because he almost lost his hand,” he said.
In his second year, he remembers when a film crew joined the mobile unit for several weeks to document the war.
Grace said it was a challenging time for their family, considering they had three children under 3 years old, but they were glad to welcome him home.
After serving those two years, he entered civilian practice with his honorable discharge, while his fellow interns, who questioned his choice, were drafted during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
“They all had plans and employments they had to cancel,” Geraci said.
During his time of service, Geraci attained the rank of captain.
He also worked in private practice for a decade in Rochester, N.Y.
Geraci said he appreciated being able to recognize the holiday along with fellow veterans that day. Also in attendance were Army servicemen Brad Hoover, Tim Sheehy and Capt. Bob Munoz, and fellow Navy serviceman John Troup.
Veterans Brad Hoover, Tim Sheehy, Bob Munoz, Bob Geraci and John Troup honor their comrades on Memorial Day at Longboat Harbour Condominiums.
To recognize the sacrifices of American military members, Longboat Harbour Condominiums created a table setting for the fallen soldier on Memorial Day.
Pat and Bob Geraci join Longboat Harbour Condominiums’ recognition of American heroes for Memorial Day. Bob served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy.
Photos by Dana Kampa
CHAPEL CHARITY
Longboat Island Chapel helps public get medical supplies.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
As many Longboat Key community members come and go throughout the year, they can’t always bring cumbersome medical equipment with them. So, what is a resident to do when they arrive and need to replace that equipment or when they are leaving for the season but don’t have room to pack that equipment?
Longboat Island Chapel has stepped in to help.
Volunteers run an on-site medical gifting closet, where members of the public can donate and receive needed supplies for free. Office manager Becky Lietzau explained that the church has been running the closet for as long as she can remember, and volunteers are reminding residents it is open to everyone, not just church members.
“When people come in for the season and are looking for something for themselves or a parent, or if they have someone visiting just for a month or two, we’re here for them,” she said.
The closet has items including wheelchairs, rollators, shower chairs, bedside commodes, canes, crutches and more.
Anyone can use the equipment for free for as long as they need, and Lietzau said with a wink if some of the more common pieces, like crutches, disappear forever, the church doesn’t mind.
“Things like knee scooters can be
expensive to rent,” she added.
She noted second-hand shops have limited capacity, so it only makes sense for a community organization to host an exchange specifically for medical equipment.
Blood pressure monitors are always in demand, Lietzau said, and the chapel always welcomes donations.
There are only a few items the chapel doesn’t accept for practical reasons, including oxygen tanks and hospital beds. The chapel cannot accept any excessively heavy items while its storm-damaged elevator is out of commission. But Lietzau said volunteers are always happy to help inquirers find the resources they need.
When the chapel ends up with more equipment than it can use or is searching for a specific item, volunteers work with North Hillsborough Baptist Church in Arcadia, Lietzau said.
She said users should bear in mind volunteers make sure the equipment is clean and appears in good condition, but it is up to the user to ensure everything works as it should.
The gift closet is a win-win for the community, she said, considering it helps people get what they need and keeps useful supplies from going unused, or worse, ending up in a landfill.
HOW TO DONATE
Those interested in donating can drop off equipment from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and before or after the 10 a.m. Sunday services. Volunteers request that donors call 941-3836491 to explain what items they plan to bring. The chapel is located at 6200
and
“When people come in for the season and are looking for something for themselves or a parent, or if they have someone visiting just for a month or two, we’re here for them.”
— Becky Lietzau, office manager
Gulf of Mexico Drive,
the office is on the second floor of the
Photos by Dana Kampa
Becky Lietzau and the Rev. Brock Patterson explain how the church’s medical supply closet helps community members get the resources they need.
TRIBUTES
Luther Archibald Youngs III, 90, longtime resident of Longboat Key, Florida, passed away on May 17, 2025. He leaves behind five loving children, two grandchildren, one great granddaughter and a brother.
Luther was born in Paradis, Louisiana to Mona Darlene and Luther Youngs Jr. He grew up in southern Louisiana and was educated in New Orleans, where he earned his Doctor of Medicine, with a specialty in Pathology, from Louisiana State University Medical School. While there, he met Andri Ana (Andy) Alach, his loving wife and partner of 67 years.
Luther joined the US Navy and practiced pathology at naval hospitals across the US, including the Bethesda Naval Hospital, and served at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington DC.
After retiring from the Navy as a Captain, he and Andy settled in Lakeland, Florida, where they raised five children. Luther was a family man and wonderful father who encouraged learning and discovery while always making time for fun and adventure. While in Lakeland, he continued his career as a pathologist and practiced there for 35 years.
Luther Archibald Youngs III 1935-2025 446420-1
Luther pursued many passions in his life, many
involving speed. He loved automobiles, especially his Morgan, he also sailed, was a pilot (including aerobatics), collected trains and was a history buff. Luther re-built and piloted a Stearman, a biplane used for military training during World War II, now housed in a military museum. At retirement, Luther and Andy moved to Longboat Key, Florida where they were
both involved with St. Mary Star of the Sea Church and he continued his lifelong love of reading, which he still enjoyed at age 90. Luther had a wonderful life and will be missed by many.
SERVICE: Services will be held at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church in Longboat Key at 2:00pm on Friday June 6, 2025.
Helping hand
Christ Church of Longboat Key fights childhood hunger.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Christ Church of Longboat Key supports area charities throughout the year with their daily operations. But Jerry Fox, head of the mission committee, said the church prioritizes projects that will be truly transformational with its larger grants. This year, the church is helping fight childhood hunger with a $40,000 grant to Elks Feeding Empty Little Tummies.
The organization provides weekend meals for students needing a boost, and this grant makes it possible for organizers to build a permanent facility for packing meals.
“This is going to be huge,” EFELT President Andrea Hitcho said when asked how having the new headquarters will affect their operations.
“We have relied on donated space ever since we started.”
The Elks launched the entirely volunteer-run program in 2011 upon seeing widespread food insecurity in area schools. Members from lodges in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch and Bradenton have helped keep the program running through the years, officially forming a 501(c)(3) in 2014.
Through collaborations with local food banks, grocery stores and support from donors, EFELT serves more than a dozen schools. Hitcho said demand ebbs and flows, but the organization typically provides meals for 500-600 kids.
Fox said the students they serve may be living in vehicles or hotel rooms with their families, and they may have limited access to food outside of school.
Hitcho said the nonprofit is grateful to businesses, schools and churches that have donated space for them to store and pack meals. However, members have needed to pack up and move operations every few years, for those spaces were required
for other projects. After losing their most recent headquarters, they made plans to split operations out of the ballroom of Bradenton Elks Lodge No. 1511 and the Lakewood Ranch Branch of the YMCA.
Now, plans are to build a dedicated structure on the property at Lodge 1511.
The Elks presented their plan to church members in March, and on May 18, the mission committee officially gave them the grant.
“This is really going to change how they can operate,” Fox said.
Christ Church made the initial $40,000 donation, and Fox said an individual member of the congregation plans to volunteer to cover the remaining cost.
EFELT estimates the total project cost at about $54,000 and has all the construction plans laid out to get started after securing building permit approval from the county. If they can secure final approval in a timely manner, she hopes they can get the project done before the start of the new school year.
WHAT TO DONATE
Elks Feeding Empty Little Tummies seeks childfriendly food donations, not packed in glass containers. Donations may be made at Elks Lodge No. 1511, 2511 75th St. W., Bradenton. For details, visit EFELT.org/Shopping-List.
n Peanut butter
n Pop-top canned beans, meat, soup, vegetables or fruit cocktail
n Boxed mac and cheese
n Crackers
n Granola bars or single-serving dry cereals n Instant noodles n Dried fruit, like raisins
Courtesy image
Christ Church of Longboat Key recently gave a $40,000 grant to Elks Feeding Empty Little Tummies.
Soaring to new heights
Save Our Seabirds staff are excited for renovations.
Save Our Seabirds is getting a face-lift, and staff members are excited to share the latest installment with visitors.
This mural holds many layers of community involvement. Artist Mirald Cake, who studied at Ringling College of Art and Design, crafted the original mural at least 15 years ago.
“We felt like it was too good to leave covered up,” Save Our Seabirds Executive Director Brian Walton said.
Lisa Wood, Save Our Seabirds’ marketing and outreach manager, said although the piece faded over time, weathering under harsh rays of sun and many hurricane seasons, it remained beloved by guests and staff.
Walton said staff members are proud to display the work of art restored to its former glory.
“This area was fully grown over,” he said, gesturing to a bit of greenery in the middle of the grounds.
“The pond was filled in with dirt, the border rocks weren’t there and you couldn’t even see the wall with the
IF YOU GO
SAVE OUR SEABIRDS
Where: Located at 1708 Ken Thompson Parkway
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, with a live pelican feeding demonstration at noon Tickets: Free to enter, but donations are welcome Info: Call 941-388-3010 or visit SaveOurSeabirds.org.
Walton
his best guess as to why facility managers filled in the pond is because Save Our Seabirds had to prioritize resources in lean years, focusing on animal welfare. Now, with the support of organizations like the Longboat Key Garden Club and Grant’s Gardens, Save Our Seabirds is happy to move forward with making this community resource soar to new heights.
He said maintenance staff members slashed their way through the jungle of foliage to find a beautiful mural underneath. In early 2024, volunteers and staff pitched in to clear away the remaining debris, making way for the repainting.
Cake, who is now based in Atlanta, drew his inspiration from images by well-known nature photographer Mary Lou Johnson of Longboat Key. The central figures include a heron, an egret, a spoonbill and a white pelican.
Artist Annie Joy refurbished the piece, bringing back the blush of the roseate spoonbill and sapphire spark of the great blue heron pictured in the mural.
Joy is a fellow Ringling art student, and she repainted the entire mural during Memorial Day weekend. She made sure to preserve Cake’s signature in the lower right corner.
Walton said Joy aimed to brighten the painting and fill in the cracks without changing the piece.
The mural repainting is part of a larger renovation, Walton explained.
Facility updates include the construction of a new set of enclosures.
Walton said the five new aviaries will house songbirds and some nonnative birds, and they hope to finish work on them before the end of the summer.
Walton said the avian rescue also plans to rework the water display near the mural, adding twin disappearing waterfalls later this year.
“These kinds of improvements aren’t massively expensive, but they do show that you care,” he added.
He said Save Our Seabirds soon hopes to bring in some additional art, inviting Joy to create an entirely new mural.
Walton said the facility is grateful to the group of Ringling students who volunteered to replant the area around the mural, along with the rest of the community that has supported the recent updates.
“I like to say we’re continuously improving ourselves, 10 square feet at a time,” he said.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Courtesy image
Artist Annie Joy works to restore a mural, originally created by Mirald Cake, at Save Our Seabirds.
Dana Kampa
IN THE BIZ
Local business people connected at the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce’s first land-based networking session of the year May 29 at Zota Beach Resort.
The chamber invited members and potential members to an “Off the Clock” reception at the beachside resort. Last month, the chamber held its first networking event of the season aboard LeBarge Tropical Cruises.
Andrew Vac, Realtor and master of ceremonies for the evening, welcomed attendees and thanked the resort for being a longtime partner to the chamber and the Key as a whole.
Jaime Limoges, the new membership coordinator at the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, took a moment to introduce herself to the crowd.
She formerly worked as marketing director of the Humane Society of Sarasota County.
“This was always my favorite chamber to visit when coming to events,” she said. “I left to pursue my own business opportunity, and when I saw they needed part-time help here. I thought that was perfect because then I would get to come hang out with all of you.”
Attendees also participated in a raffle benefiting Manatee Children’s Services.
Malia Price, who is opening a new store on St. Armands Circle, said she appreciated having the chance to chat with fellow business owners on the Key.
The next “Networking at Noon” takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on June 18 at Café on St. Armands. The restaurant, formerly known as Café L’Europe, held its grand reopening on St. Armands Circle in January. Visit LongboatKeyChamber.com for tickets.
Hurricane forces move
“To me, if you’re living in a community, it’s important to give back,” she said.
DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER
Customers who walk through the door of Secur-All Insurance Agency on Longboat Key can expect quality customer service, especially from 10-year-old Ziggy, the canine head of public relations. Ziggy’s office is located right next to manager Sandra Smith’s office at the new headquarters on the island.
Staff members recently relocated to 510 Bay Isles Road after the storms damaged the office building located further north on the Key.
Smith has run the Longboat Key arm of the insurance agency since it opened in 2009. Her father, Robert Smith, started the original 1964 Long Island office in New York, now run by her brother, Adam.
Her family is proud to have served the Longboat Key community through the years as an independent agency, and Smith said their focus on helpful, reliable service has been essential to their continued success.
“Service has been a lost commodity in this industry, and we train our agents to think about everyone but themselves,” she said, adding that employees don’t work on commission in Florida.
Secur-All has been a longtime supporter of community events such as the Lawn Party, which aids the Children’s Guardian Fund, Savor the Sounds, activities with the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key and the annual golf tournament supporting the Longboat Key Firefighters Association.
Smith has lived on the Key for 30 years, and she said she recognized a need for accessible service in the community.
“How do you make a difference and how do you start an agency when you’re competing with such big, national firms that are in our area?” she asked when considering opening the Longboat Key branch. “The only way I knew to set us apart was to provide that high-level customer service.”
She said her father set a standard of coming out to people’s homes when needed, ensuring they get the support they need.
“I remember packing wine bottles for the clients at Christmas time, and it would fill a whole room,” she said. “We’re in an industry where service is very, very hard to get.”
The agency’s offices are located in Florida and New York, but the company serves more than 30 states, which Smith said is helpful to Longboaters, considering many spend part of the year elsewhere.
Having a wide network also benefits employees, and Smith said agents could still work remotely in the aftermath of the storms until the new office was up and running.
The office building at 6350 Gulf of Mexico Drive, where Secur-All moved in 2022, suffered one too many bouts of flooding and needed to be demolished after the hurricanes. But Smith said she looks forward to this new chapter, a homecoming to the central part of the Key. “I think you’re always stronger when you go through adversity, and you learn what to do to move forward,” she said.
Dana Kampa
Sandra Smith and Ziggy, the firm’s official public relations specialist, get settled after Secur-All Insurance’s relocation to 510 Bay Isles Road.
— DANA KAMPA
Brandy Britton and Monica Carruth snap a selfie.
Andrew Sweetnich, Michael Jaspan and Jason Diaz
Photos by Dana Kampa
Ernie Vanderwalt, Scott Kuykendall, Kellie Spring and Michael Fletcher chat at the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce’s latest “Off the Clock” networking event.
Andrew Vac thanks Zota Beach Resort for hosting.
Rhonda Daniels, Windy Schrag, Amy Fehr and Lyndie Parks
Bay Isles home tops week’s sales
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Todd and Elizabeth Rieke, trustees, of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, sold the home at 1580 Harbor Cay Lane to Bryan Martin, of Larchmont, New York, for $9.5 million. Built in 1981, it has five bedrooms, fourand-two-half baths, a pool and 6,349 square feet of living area. It sold for $4.7 million in 2020.
million. Built in 1991, it has three bedrooms, four baths, a
and 4,233 square feet of living area. It
for $1.8 million in 2011.
QUEEN’S HARBOR
Karl Douglas Ramine and Helene Cohen Romine, trustees, of Longboat Key, sold the home at 3580 Fair Oaks Lane to Dean Philip Lombardo, trustee, of Longboat Key, for $2.9 million. Built in 1998, it has five bedrooms, six-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,167 square feet of living area. It sold for $2,575,000 in 2021.
SABAL COVE
Judith Christian, trustee, of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, sold the home at 3310 Sabal Cove Lane to Todd McKiernan and Nicholle Dipinto McKiernan, of Longboat Key, for $2.2 million. Built in 1991, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 4,465 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,095,000 in 1999.
ISLANDS WEST
Janet Foisie, trustee, of Bloomfield, Connecticut, sold the Unit 5-A condominium at 2525 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Gent and Anila Hito, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for $1.4 million. Built in 1972, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,460
at $9.5 million
square feet of living area. It sold for $895,000 in 2015.
SANDS POINT
Diane Blake, trustee, of Bradenton, sold the Unit 305 condominium at 100 Sands Point Road to John Godfrey Taft and Laura Delaney Taft, of Wayzata, Minnesota, for $1.21 million. Built in 1979, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,238 square feet of living area. It sold for $440,000 in 2017.
THE PRIVATEER SOUTH
Ashraf Nour, trustee, of Longboat Key, sold the Unit 304 condominium at 1000 Longboat Club Road to Helaine Oxman Lasky, of Atlanta, for $690,000. Built in 1972, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,409 square feet of living area. It sold for $410,000 in 2019.
TOP BUILDING PERMITS
Images courtesy of Michael Saunders & Company The home at 1580 Harbor Cay Lane has five bedrooms, four-and-two-half baths, a pool and 6,349 square feet of living area.
YOUR CALENDAR
FRIDAY, JUNE 6
KRYSTIANO DACOSTA
10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Wyland Gallery Sarasota, 314 John Ringling Blvd. Krystiano Dacosta, a mixed-media artist who explores industrial art styles, will be showcasing his latest works at a reception June 6-8. The gallery closes at 10 p.m. on Sunday. Call 941-388-5331 with questions.
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. on 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 941-383-6493.
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.
PILATES SCULPT
9-9:50 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Pilates Sculpt is a combination class mixing traditional Pilates exercises into a fun, challenging workout to upbeat music. It will make you sweat, encourage your body to burn calories, and make you stronger and more flexible. This class is for all levels. Cost 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 941-383-6493.
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
FORECAST
MOON PHASES
TIDES
MINED GAMES by Evan Park & Jeffrey Martinovic, edited by Jared Goudsmit
Luis Campos
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