Longboat Observer 7.15.21

LONGBOAT

Observer Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978

Plenty to read.

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FREE THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

VOLUME 43, NO. 49

YOUR TOWN

In the spotlight Town moves ahead on next step for Town Center stage. PAGE 3

Courtesy photo

100% chance of love Ashleigh Tinney was blown away by Vinny Loccisano’s proposal — almost literally.

The couple, which has ties to Longboat Key through Loccisano’s family, got engaged on the beach July 6. Loccisano brought out a barbershop quartet and proposed to Tinney on the beach.

If July 6 sounds familiar, yes, that is the date that Hurricane Elsa was making its way past the Key with blustery wind and waves.

Still, Loccisano got Tinney out to the beach under the pretense of taking pictures and popped the question.

Despite a little breeze and a bit of rain, she said yes.

Filth fighters

Rambunctious beachgoers often leave behind food trash and empty cans after a holiday, so the Longboat Key chapter of the Surfrider Foundation hosted a Liberty Litter cleanup to ease the shore’s soreness.

Tahniya Smith, who helps organize beach cleanups for the foundation on Greer Island, set up the July 5 cleanup and found water bottles, beer cans and a few pizza boxes with her straightening-up squad. It’s usually one of the dirtiest days on the beach, she said.

Luckily, their efforts attracted a few other beachgoers, who pitched in to pick up.

Nat Kaemmerer

Visitors from Kentucky, Amy Baker, Lysette Daniels and Marisa Baker, found some beach erosion from Hurricane Elsa’s waves.

STORM PASSES QUIETLY A+E

Turtle Tracks LONGBOAT July 4-10

2021 2020 Nests 92 117 False Crawls 154 104 Totals since April 25

2021 2020 Nests 823 954 False Crawls 1,056 1,162 Source: Mote Marine Laboratory

A good night.

PAGE 18

Elsa packs a small punch, but town still assessing beaches. SEE PAGE 7

Retail center is sold Whitney Beach plaza under new ownership.

SEE PAGE 2

Mark Bergin

Hal Porter purchased Whitney Beach Plaza for about $3.24 million.

Brian Mathae purchased LBK Liquors separately.

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

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Eric Garwood

Hal Porter purchased Whitney Beach Plaza for about $3.24 million.

Whitney Beach Plaza sells for $3.24 million Owner tried to redevelop in 2016 and sought density vote this year.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

Whitney Beach Plaza has a new owner.

Ryan Snyder has sold the north-end shopping center for about $3.24 million to Polk County-based Porter Investment Holdings owner Hal Porter.

“Basically, the zoning restrictions out there is the reason why ultimately that I let the property go,” Snyder said.

Snyder became part owner of the plaza in 2012 through a partnership with JKI Investment Capital LLC, which had purchased the property for $3.7 million two years earlier. He had been sole owner of the property since March 2015.

Porter declined to immediately comment on his purchase, stating he wanted to first meet with the plaza’s tenants and town leaders.

He served as the president of Star Pizza Box Inc. from 1990-2013.

The LBK Liquors building sold separately to Brian Mathae, who in 2017 bought the already-established Hurricane Hanks with a partner in Holmes Beach. Mathae also owns Hurricane Liquors in Holmes Beach.

“When we found out that LBK Liquors might be available for sale, we thought it would be a complementary business to what we are already doing here,” Mathae said.

Mathae closed on LBK Liquors on July 1. He did not disclose a price, and public records of the transaction have not yet been posted.

“The liquor store is really what pulls people into the plaza, and that’s the one thing that I am sad to see go,’’ Snyder said.

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In May, the Town Commission voted 5-2 against Snyder’s request for a referendum seeking residential density to build a maximum of 10 residential units at Whitney Beach Plaza. Commissioners Penny Gold and Debra Williams voted for the measure.

Snyder could have tried to qualify for the ballot by gathering petition signatures of 10% of the Longboat Key voters.

Snyder said the Whitney Beach Plaza sale was under contract by the time he appeared before the commission on May 18.

“I was actually going to withdraw my referendum request, and it got up to the day or two before the scheduled appearance before the commission,” Snyder said. “I didn’t want to do that to (Planning, Zoning and Building Director) Allen Parsons because he had done the leg work.”

It’s not the first time Snyder has tried to get approval to build homes near Whitney Plaza. In

November 2016, Longboat Key voters rejected his proposal for a density request for up to 18 homes. He also tried selling Whitney Beach Plaza in February 2017.

“When the island was downzoned back in the ’80s, it made it extremely difficult for any commercial property out there to get any residential density associated with their property,” Snyder said.

Even if Snyder had passed the town’s referendum process, he would have needed site-plan approvals from both the Town Commission and the Planning and Zoning Board to proceed with the project. He said it would have been a three- to five-year process.

The Longboat Observer asked Snyder whether he felt Longboat Key’s referendum process was too stringent.

“It depends on who you ask,” Snyder said. “If I lived out there, if I was a resident, I would say, absolutely not. If was a resident, I would like it because, I mean, it

has literally taken the control out of the elected official’s hands and it is in the people’s hands. “(There are) a few towns in Florida that are like this. From a developer standpoint, it’s a worst-case scenario. It’s a nightmare. But if I’m living out there, and I don’t want the place to look like Miami Beach spotted with towers up and down the island, I mean it’s got some, but if they didn’t have that in place, it would look a hell of a lot worse than it is right now.”

Snyder said he would devote his time to the 400-500 properties he owns. Most are residential homes in Charlotte County. He said he builds between 100-200 homes a year in Manatee and Charlotte counties.

“All of those are wildly successful, had no issues,” Snyder said.

“Whitney Plaza is the biggest challenge I have ever come across in my career.”

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS

1. Proposed stage pad: 1,000 square feet 2. Proposed great lawn: 19,950 square feet 3. Proposed multipurpose shell esplanade: 20 feet wide; 9,110 square feet 4. Proposed pedestrian walkway: 10 feet wide; 10,382 square feet 4a. Proposed pedestrian walkway: 8 feet wide; 693 square feet 5. Proposed future restroom facilities: 500 square feet 6. Proposed pedestrian light poles: 24 poles (not shown) 7. Proposed canopy trees: 24 trees 8. Proposed sod: 41,500 square feet 9. Existing on-site parking: 94 spaces 10. Proposed 12-feet-by-18-feet handicap parking: two spaces 11. Proposed building pad site A: 11,200 square feet 12. Proposed building pad site B: 7,700 square feet 13. Proposed relocated historical building: 16 feet by 24 feet; 384 square feet 14. Proposed temporary restroom facilities 15. Proposed stormwater pond: 15,900 square feet 16. Proposed boardwalk: 696 square feet 17. Proposed monument sign 18. Proposed 1/10 of a mile marker sign

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Master site concept plan

CENTER

STAGE Town commissioners are set to review design of Town Center’s next big step in September.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

Longboat Key plans to complete plans for a stage at the Town Center site with up to $50,000 of town funding.

The plan is for the Town Commission to review the initial design work for the stage Sept. 13 after its summer recess.

“I wouldn’t want to go down the design phase if the majority of the commission says, ‘We don’t like this design,’” Town Manager Tom Harmer said. “Now it’s going to evolve because it’s a concept.”

Longboat Key is working with Gary Hoyt of the Sarasota-based firm Hoyt Architects, which provided the Town Commission with several stage concept renderings.

Hoyt Architects provided a preliminary estimate of stage construction to cost $500,000$600,000.

Public Works Director Isaac Brownman wrote a June 25 memo to Harmer about other stage costs. It includes the cost of completing the design; constructionlevel documents; and outfitting the stage with audio, video and lighting equipment.

“It is not unusual for actual event organizers to provide their own sound and lighting equipment for specific performances, depending on the type of presentation or event,” Brownman wrote.

Hoyt Architects said it would take three to four months to complete the design. The firm estimated the total design costs

Renderings courtesy of the town of Longboat Key

Above and top: Hoyt Architects provided the Town Commission with these renderings of a stage concept.

at $75,000-$90,000, which does not include audio/video and rigging design: n Estimated design cost, including structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing: $70,000$80,000 n Estimated acoustical engineer cost: $5,000-$10,000 The nonprofit organization Longboat Key Foundation is helping the town raise money to fund the build-out of the project.

Jim Brown, a former mayor and the Longboat Key Foundation chair, appeared before the Town Commission on July 2. Brown said he thinks the town should work with Hoyt to make the stage less expensive.

“You probably heard my statement: Never trust an architect’s estimate. I’m an architect,” Brown said. “Every time I gave a client an estimate, it was usually too low, but I just think that the town doesn’t need to spend $600,000 on a stage when they can probably

get one for $200,000.”

Brown acknowledged the stage’s roof must be designed to withstand hurricane-force winds. He said the Longboat Key Foundation has scheduled meetings in the coming weeks to identify potential donors.

“We have a fairly significant list of individuals on the Key who are known contributors to things like this,” Brown said.

Harmer said there is an opportunity for the possibility of the town finding a large donor in exchange for naming rights to the stage.

“We’ve talked about naming rights for several years, and the stage is one of those opportunities,” Harmer said. “If there’s a large donor that wanted to do that, then we’d be happy to meet with them and kind for talk through that.”

Harmer also acknowledged the Town Commission would need to approve the naming rights of a

public facility.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Commissioner BJ Bishop said. “If you want to give us $500,000 to get that stage built or more to get the whole facility, the Town Center, built with buildings, I’d say, ‘We’ll name it anything you’d like us to name it.’ Just write the check.”

Longboat Key leaders continue to search for a partner to help support a privately funded facility.

The Town Center is expected to operate at a “minimal cost” to the town, a change in strategy from an original concept without the use of public money beyond the land itself, which was purchased by the town in 2018.

The town must figure out how to move forward after Ringling College of Art and Design stepped back from its relationship with Longboat Key in 2019 after five years of discussion.

Respondents to Longboat Key’s second annual citizen survey said they would be “somewhat” or “very likely” to attend the following types of events at the Town Center: n Farmers markets (94%) n Art shows / craft festivals (87%) n Outdoor concerts (83%) Respondents favored a multipurpose space for live performances, such as theater and music (66.1%), as well as additional spaces for art exhibits (46.1%) and active recreation (41.4%), such as exercise, dance and yoga classes.

The Town Center land, bordered by the Longboat Key Public Tennis Center, a shopping center parking lot, the former parking lot of Amore restaurant and offices along Bay Isles Road, was designed to accommodate a potential arts, culture and education center building.

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

Developer’s density proposal approved for November ballot Town voters will have a say in a plan to build two homes on Buttonwood.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

Longboat Key voters will have the chance to vote in November on a residential density measure in the Buttonwood Harbour neighborhood.

The request from land planner Bruce Franklin is for the conversion of 597 Buttonwood Drive from an office-institutional property to a residential use for two homes that would front Buttonwood Drive.

The following referendum question will appear Nov. 2 on Longboat Key ballots: “May the Town allow the property located at 597 Buttonwood Drive (Property ID#0005080027) and comprising approximately 0.86 acres, to increase density from OI office-institutional uses (which allows no density) to either R-3MX or R-3SF residential use (which allow a maximum of three (3) residential units per acre), for a maximum total of 2 residential units on the property?”

On July 2, Franklin spoke before commissioners about the proposal. Franklin serves as an agent for American Momentum Bank, the owner of the property, and Brista

Homes Inc., the contract purchaser of the property.

“We fully acknowledge it’s our responsibility to the community, not only the immediate neighborhood, but the voters of Longboat Key,” Franklin said.

On July 2, Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier explained what it meant for the Town Commission to vote 6-0 on the second reading of the measure.

“The commission takes no position on the advisability of this or what might happen if future actions do go ahead and approve that density on a town level or any construction that will be done,” Schneier said. “It is purely to allow the applicant to put this on the referendum, on the ballot without having to gather 709 (or) 710 petition signatures.”

Had the commission not approved the referendum request, Franklin could have tried to qualify for the ballot by gathering petition signatures of 10% of Longboat Key voters.

Buttonwood Harbour resident Lorenzo DiNino told commissioners he preferred Franklin go through the petition process.

“This approach, it places a requirement on the builder to provide additional information to the voters and Longboat Key so that an informed decision can be made,” DiNino said. “It very well may be that residential homes at this location makes good sense,

but how can we make that determination without facts about the property development plan other than the builder’s stated desire to construct two homes?”

However, if Longboat Key voters approve the Buttonwood Drive referendum by a majority, Franklin would then need to get a site development plan approved by both the Town Commission and the Planning and Zoning Board.

“The request for, ‘We want to see the home design, we want to see how the drainage is going to be handled, etc.’ is the next step,” Franklin said. “I can’t get there from here unless this referendum passes.”

In 1984, the town’s voters made it mandatory for any increase in residential development to come before voters in a referendum.

Only one such referendum has succeeded: a 2019 request for 1.8 acres at 5630 Gulf of Mexico Drive. The vote was 1,056 for and 838 against.

“Historically, very few referendums in this municipality have passed, and the ones that have passed are the ones that they’ve done a good job of educating the community,” Commissioner BJ Bishop said.

In June, the commission voted against considering a referendum request to redevelop the vacant bank building at 6960 Gulf of Mexico Drive to a two-story building with four residential condominium units.

In May, the commission voted against considering a referendum request about the possibility of adding a maximum of 10 residential units at Whitney Beach Plaza, which has since sold to a new owner.

Mark Bergin

The property owners of 597 Buttonwood Drive hope to convert it from an office-institutional property to a residential use for two homes that would face Buttonwood Drive.

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

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Longboat Key first responders begin using resource guide The guide helps connect people in need to area’s service organizations.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

V

ictoria Kasdan was in the right place at the right time.

The chair of nonprofit Making an Impact Inc. attended a May 21 festival in the Newtown neighborhood of Sarasota and approached a group of Sarasota police officers to tell them about the Community Connections Resource Guide.

“I approached the officers that were standing there and said, ‘I’d like to see a copy of this guide in every squad car’ because police find themselves in a lot of situations that involve social services in addition to crime,” she said.

“What I didn’t know at the time was that the group of officers that I approached included the Sarasota Police Department chief.”

The guide helps people throughout Manatee and Sarasota counties identify and connect with essential service organizations. It lists 200 agencies organized into 17 categories, including addiction treatment, education, food pantries, immigration, mental health, utility assistance and veteran’s services.

Shortly after the May event, the Sarasota Police Department began using the 148-page guide.

Kasdan said she reached out to someone who connected her to Longboat Key Town Manager

Courtesy photo

Interim Police Chief George Turner, Fire Chief Paul Dezzi, Town Manager Tom Harmer, Making An Impact Chair Victoria Kasdan and Kasdan’s husband, Ira, meet in June.

Tom Harmer to tell town leaders about the guides. It led to a June 1 meeting with Harmer, Fire Chief Paul Dezzi and interim Police Chief George Turner.

Town leaders agreed to have the guides put in all of the town’s firerescue and police vehicles.

Dezzi explained how the guides help first responders provide better care to someone in need.

“What would happen is we arrive on the scene of an inci-

dent, or we have somebody who needs a service, it may not be an emergency in our eyes, but it is to them,” Dezzi said. “That manual has a lot of information in there to where we can go ahead and offer maybe the name of the service that’s in there, and then they contact them on their own. It prevents another 911 call to us.”

Making An Impact has distributed more than 1,000 guides in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

The nonprofit started in April 2020 after Kasdan connected with co-Founder Lindy Hoy. Kasdan said she could find a similar guide for Manatee County but not for Sarasota County.

Hoy created her own version of a Sarasota resource guide as part of her church’s volunteer work, Kasdan said.

“We decided to start a nonprofit in the midst of COVID because we said, ‘We need this now,’ and

with this COVID thing, which we had no idea how long it was going to last, (we said), ‘We’re going to need it more,’” Kasdan said.

Making An Impact’s mission is to reduce disparities and unmet needs for disadvantaged people in the community.

“As a registered nurse for almost 40 years, I have been in a caring situation no matter what type of industry I was working in,” Kasdan said.

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

Town reports red tide conditions

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Longboat Key received several reports of red tide conditions in the past several days, prompting word from town officials who said that they are keeping an eye on near-shore waters of the gulf and the bay.

On Monday morning, Suncoast Waterkeeper board member Rusty Chinnis said he was trying to fish for tarpon with some friends near Longboat Pass and Jewfish Key when he encountered reduced water visibility.

“The water was the color of river water,” Chinnis said. “Heck, you couldn’t see through it, and there was a line of dead fish going out Longboat Pass on the tide line with a bunch of different seagrass.”

County health officials on Tuesday alerted residents that red tide is present at all 16 Sarasotarun beaches.

The town issued a news release Monday morning about reports of minor respiratory irritation, some odor in areas along the Gulf of Mexico with water discoloration and minor fish kills beachside.

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ager Tom Harmer said.

On Monday morning, Jessica Lemmer brought her children, Tatum and Peyton, to Quick Point Nature Preserve to go fishing. The 31-year-old Sarasota resident said she has enjoyed fishing for most of her life.

“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen it,” Lemmer said. “I mean, as far as smell goes, I’ve smelled really bad red tide, but I’ve never seen the dead fish like this just everywhere.”

Lemmer’s children noticed the smell.

“It stinks,” Tatum Lemmer said.

The town of Longboat Key recommends avoiding dead sea life, seagrass and seaweed on the beach and the use of floating barriers to prevent canal and boat basin accumulations.

“There are no rules against burying dead sea life on beaches,” the town’s release states. “However, property owners must do so in front of their own property and must ensure proper depth to avoid re-exposure.”

Anyone with questions can call the town at 316-1988.

Dozens of dead fish were washing up on the shores of Quick Point Nature Preserve on Monday.

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

Elsa, schmelsa Area’s first storm of the 2021 season packs little punch, but effects on beach renourishment are still to be determined.

MARK BERGIN AND NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITERS

Longbeach Village resident Miles Shaw spent the morning after Hurricane Elsa picking up debris from his yard.

It wasn’t a terribly big job.

“It’s a good excuse to sweat, I’ll tell you that,” Shaw said of his cleanup efforts July 7. “It’s not too bad. Most of the stuff either broke off or was broken in place, and I trimmed it.”

Shaw’s neighbor Fred Kagi insisted Elsa was not as severe as Tropical Storm Eta in November 2020.

“It’s not even the same storm,” Kagi said. “Not even close.”

Kagi monitored the storm from Colorado but had someone put sandbags around his home.

“I didn’t get the chance to see how they worked,” Kagi said. “I hope I never do.”

In April, Kagi completed $80,000 worth of repairs to his Russell Street home caused by the damages from Eta. Kagi said Elsa did not cause his yard any damage.

Town Manager Tom Harmer said the storm’s passing offshore caused little damage but that it

served as a warning.

Harmer mentioned how each storm is different and how residents should stay prepared considering hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.

“Irma was more of a wind event, Eta was more of a water event, and then Elsa turned into kind of a mild event that had a little bit of wind and water but that doesn’t compare to a Category 3, 4 or 5 storm that might impact us,” Harmer said. “We just have to take each storm one at a time, and we just need to ask our residents to take each one of them seriously.”

Harmer said Longboat Key staff would complete a full assessment of the island, including how Elsa potentially impacted the town’s beach renourishment projects.

“Anytime you have a tropical storm or hurricane come by the coast, that’s one thing that we’re really concerned about is, what was the impact to the beach?”

Harmer said. “We won’t know that for a little while.”

On July 7, Longboat Key Turtle Watch volunteer Connie Schindewoll was out near the 100 Broadway St. beach access to survey the sea turtle nests and their eggs after Elsa passed through.

Schindewoll examined a few dozen turtle nests in a 1-mile stretch along the beach in Longboat Key. She said about three-fourths of the nests she surveyed are either gone or underwater.

“It’s not a happy day for turtles, but you know what, there’s still

Nat Kaemmerer

Amy Baker, Lysette Daniels and Marisa Baker check out the beach erosion in the 3100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive in Longboat Key. Marisa Baker was finding plenty of good shells that had gotten washed up.

nests left, and there’s still eggs that are going to hatch, and more are going to be laid,” she said.

Schindewoll described what Elsa was like from her west Bradenton home.

“Our screen door, even though it was locked, kept flying open. I was afraid it was going to break off,” Schindewoll said.

“So I got the screen door, and I’m trying to pull it closed, and it’s flying, and I’m thinking I’m Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ with the door blowing off, but we finally got it tied.”

The landscape of the beach changed a bit.

Where visiting Kentuckians Amy Baker, Lysette Daniels and Marisa Baker had seen a sloped stretch of sand leading into the water yesterday in the 3100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive, there was now a steep drop off.

Marisa Baker was gathering plenty of good shells that had been washed up in the choppy

water, though.

On the south end of Longboat Key, Tangerine Bay Club resident Linn Torres compared Elsa to a typical summer storm.

“We had some sandbags out, and those took care of any problems,” Torres said. “I slept right through it.”

Fellow south-end resident Sandi Love expressed a similar sentiment.

When she went out around 7 a.m., there were only some puddles, and her neighbor’s delicate flowers that usually get damaged by the storm were just fine.

“I live across from the Islandside golf course, and there were a bunch of birds, and they were in heaven because there was a new little pond there,” Love said.

“There were Roseate spoonbills and wood storks. That is only the second time I’ve seen wood storks here.”

Mark Bergin

On Wednesday morning, Miles Shaw cleans up debris from Hurricane Elsa outside of his Russell Street home.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

LONGBOAT

OPINION / OUR VIEW

Kill the noise with kindness Whitney Plaza highlights town’s zoning dilemma

When things go wrong, we call for government intervention. Perhaps some neighborly kindness can squelch the boisterous noise near Jewfish Key.

S

ix years ago — in the June 25 edition of the Longboat Observer, the headline on the lead editorial said: “How to address the noise.”

It was the same problem as now: Longboat Key residents who live on the north end near Jewfish Key were complaining about the weekend boaters in the shallow waters in the bay and along the beach, playing loud music and otherwise making what residents consider excessive, annoying noise.

At that time, our take was to encourage Longboat Key authorities to be more forceful enforcing the town codes. We wrote: “It wasn’t all that long ago when Longboat Key had the reputation as the one place you didn’t dare try to speed or challenge the law. It was well known Longboat Key just didn’t tolerate much in the way of errant behavior.

“The town police were vigilant watchdogs, with high visibility, seemingly patrolling every inch of the Key and stopping anyone who acted suspiciously. Mainlanders always accused the town police of profiling.

“They were just doing their job: being tough on crime.

“And it worked.

“When you write a lot of speeding tickets, tail ‘unusual’ vehicles and issue a lot of minor

citations, the word spreads. The bad guys stay away.

“We remind you of this in light of the noise disruptions each weekend in the Intracoastal Waterway between Longboat Key and Jewfish Key. “What happened to the enforcers? Where is the show of Longboat Key force and intimidation? Since when doesn’t the Longboat Key police force become a nuisance to the nuisance creators?

“After all, Longboat Key has a reputation to uphold: zero tolerance.”

That’s certainly one way of approaching the issue — deploying marine officers in a show of force during peak noise times to patrol and hand out citations with fines. That will definitely make the boaters angry and reinforce the image of Longboat Key as place full of cranky, snobby rich people.

And that appears to be what the Town Commission did recently when it enacted emergency ordinances that give the town’s law enforcement and code enforcement officers to enforce the town’s noise codes via fines.

Perhaps there is another way to address this: “Kill ’em with kindness” as the saying goes.

These days, it’s standard procedure in the U.S. that whenever people don’t like something, they turn to government for a new law, a fine, a punishment.

Gone are the days of neighbors resolving issues among themselves.

Call this Pollyanna, but what about the offended Longboat residents banding together for a friendly campaign of “Be nice to your neighbors”? We could envision Longboaters grilling hotdogs and hamburgers at the south Coquina Beach boat launch, complete with signage urging boaters to be respectful of their surroundings and say the representatives of homeowner associations handing out fliers encouraging boaters to have fun but not too much fun.

Engage them and thank them for their cooperation.

Who knows whether it would work.

But you can be sure of this: People respond better to kind neighbors than they do to neighbors who always call the cops.

Circle master plan called for hotel 13 years ago Remember the proposal from JWM Management to develop the asphalt parking lot on St. Armands Circle into a boutique hotel and Morton’s Market?

It continues to percolate.

The St. Armands Business Improvement District board is seeking comments from the St. Armands Circle merchants for three proposed zoning amendments to the code governing St. Armands Circle: n To allow building heights to increase to 45 feet from a current maximum of 35 feet. n To allow residential units to be built on the second floor, or potentially the third floor of buildings. n To allow a boutique hotel to be built, with retail on the first floor (Morton’s Market) and hotel rooms on the second and/ or third floors.

Although JWM’s presentation in late May to the City Commission immediately sparked resistance from St. Armands Key residents, it’s worth noting that JWM’s idea isn’t new. In fact, much of what JWM proposed fits with a plan completed in 2008.

At that time, the city engaged the Tampa engineering firm of Heidt & Associates to develop a master plan for St. Armands Circle. Heidt performed the

standard routine for these types of projects, conducting two major workshops and meetings with special interest groups, citizen groups, city staff and the Florida Department of Transportation. Heidt also solicited comments from landowners, merchants and residents through questionnaires and surveys.

From all that came these three top recommendations: n “An upscale grocer … Niche gourmet grocery chains, such as Whole Foods or Morton’s Market, have emerged as prototypical anchors.” n A boutique hotel. Said the report: “One of the most cited complaints among owner surveys was a lack of boutique hotels on or near The Circle.

“On-site hotels provide a natural customer base for retail shopping areas. Hotel visitors often have limited local mobility and limited knowledge of the area in which they are staying.

Thus, they are most likely to shop in the area immediately surrounding them. The dearth of hotels on or near The Circle is a serious disadvantage then, relative to other shopping areas.” n “A small upscale national retail department store that would act as an end-destination retail anchor and draw customers from

the entire MSA.” The report also stated that the most likely place for a hotel and/ or grocer was the surface parking lot JWM proposed to develop.

It goes without saying in Florida, and especially in Sarasota and Longboat Key, that any major development will spark vocal opposition. “I’ve got mine, but you can’t have yours.”

But that posture and attitude ignores this reality: Florida and Sarasota will continue to grow.

In that vein, if Longboat Key and St. Armands Circle intend to remain competitive, they must change to meet market demands.

Consumers are always looking for something new.

What’s more, if you’ve spent any time at University Town Center, that massive commercial development is all about new and continues to grow.

In that vein, consumers, travelers and tourists are always looking for something new. When Heidt & Associates completed its master plan study in 2015, it noted multiple times how little St. Armands Circle has changed from John Ringling’s vision 100 years ago.

This business truism applies to St. Armands Circle as well: If you’re not growing, you’re dying.

Poor Ryan Snyder, now former owner of the Whitney Beach Plaza on north Longboat Key. After struggling nearly a decade to transform that forever forlorn shopping center into a thriving, attractive commercial center or a combination of an upscale residential-commercial center, he faced reality.

Snyder, apparently, finally said to himself: Who needs the misery?

Try as he might, the Longboat Key Town Commission and the north-end residents had virtually no interest helping Snyder reinvent a property that remains stuck in the early 1970s and is a drag on the attractiveness of north Longboat Key. Just to drive home the point of misery: Snyder sold the shopping center for $3.4 million. He purchased it in 2012 for $3.64 million. And that sale figure doesn’t include more than $200,000 spent in taxes and upkeep over nine years.

It’s almost unheard of to lose money on Longboat real estate.

But in fact, Whitney Beach Plaza is emblematic of practically every commercial property on Longboat Key — the exception being the Publix-owned Shoppes of Bay Isles. Nearly all of them are deteriorating physically, being held together by the proverbial termites holding hands. And their owners are shackled in the chains of the town’s commercial zoning codes, the limits on residential density and the oversupply of commercially zoned property.

We have addressed this issue on numerous occasions, hoping town commissioners likewise would address this long-festering problem.

Clearly, you can see the problem: While residential properties are being torn down and built into bigger, better properties at soaring prices, a commercial owner is unable to do the same and make it work economically.

If, say, Snyder wanted to redevelop the old buildings at Whitney Beach, he couldn’t charge enough rent to make the investment pay off. In many cases, redevelopment also triggers new parking and landscaping codes that make redevelopment unrealistic.

For nearly 20 years, conversations have occurred periodically in Town Hall about allowing commercial properties to convert to mixed residential-commercial use, giving commercial owners more options. But as soon as talk begins about adding residential units to the Key, that triggers the big inhibitor: Voters must approve an increase in the town’s residential density.

Snyder tried that in 2016. Voters said no.

Perhaps Snyder’s departure and the hope the new owners bring to the Key will spur a townwide discussion on how to give more flexibility to the Key’s commercial properties in ways that will enhance the Key.

“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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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

Valuations rebound on Longboat The Property Appraisers Offices in Sarasota and Manatee counties provided the town with official values July 1.

MARK BERGIN STAFF WRITER

Mark Bergin

TAXABLE VALUES Manatee County n 2020: $1.92 billion n 2021: $2.02 billion n Increase of 5.17% Sarasota County n 2020: $4.19 billion n 2021: $4.46 billion n Increase of 6.36% Combined n 2020: $6.11 billion n 2021: $6.47 billion n Increase of 5.99% Figures provided by the town of Longboat Key

$740,866 compared to the previous fiscal year.

During their July 2 meeting, commissioners set the maxi-

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I was quite disturbed after reading the article about raising chickens on Longboat Key. Those of us who are fulltime residents are here for the beauty and peacefulness of our island.

The referenced ordinance 91.012 was made to keep it this way. Those who wish to raise farm animals should live in the areas zoned for such — out east, not on Longboat Key! Just think, next could be potbelly pigs, roosters, ponies, etc. Remember the peacocks?

Neighbors had major issues with those “pretty and very noisy birds.”

Eventually, most had to be relocated.

Live and let live, but not next door. We pay high taxes and insurance for our paradise, and this is out of the question. Years ago, neighbors chose to ignore this ordinance, and we found chickens cruising the street and in our yards.

This is just not acceptable.

I like Lark Rippy’s enthusiasm, but raising fowl on Longboat Key is inappropriate.

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

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mum base millage rate of 2.1144, which is unchanged since fiscal year 2018 budget.

At the start of August, commissioners are due to receive the recommended budget and town manager’s budget message in accordance with the Town Charter.

“We’ll still have a few things that we’ll be tweaking related to state-revenue forecasting and anything else that comes up between now and Aug. 1,” Town Manager Tom Harmer said.

A first reading of the budget is set for Sept. 13.

The second reading and adoption of the budget is set for Sept. 27.

Likewise, Sarasota County leaders are considering a fiscal 2022 budget with higher-thanexpected property values.

Countywide, values rose 6.3%, outperforming estimates that ranged from 4.2% to 5.8%.

A Longboat Key Landmark

Town leaders earlier this month set a not-to-exceed property tax rate of 2.1144 mills for budget consideration in September.

If that number sounds familiar, it’s because the town’s base millage rate has not changed since the summer of 2017.

Combined with rising property values, the town could end up with more revenue than originally thought, based on a $300 million rise in the worth of residential and commercial properties.

Longboat Key’s 2021 certified values show a 5.99% increase in combined taxable values between Sarasota and Manatee counties. The increase is also larger than June’s projection of a 5.37% increase.

During fiscal year 2022, the town is projected to collect $13.14 million in property taxes if the millage rate remains unchanged.

The revenue typically makes up about three-fourths of the total revenue the town collects each fiscal year. The fiscal year 2022 total is an increase of

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

Take It On...

Together!

JULY 4

STOP, NOT SLOW 1:34 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Traffic warning: An out-of-state driver received a written warning after slowing, but not stopping, for a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk. The driver said he was unfamiliar with the flashing-light signal and believed slowing down was the correct action. The officer reminded the driver the crosswalk signal is preceded by three warning signs to stop for pedestrians. Two other drivers received written warnings in the following hour, one of whom told an officer he hadn’t noticed a crosswalk.

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JULY 1

PAPERWORK 8:17 a.m., Bogey Lane and Yardarm Lane Traffic: An officer on patrol was notified of a nearby vehicle registered to a driver whose license had been suspended or disqualified. The officer found the vehicle in a nearby neighborhood and stopped the driver, who said he was unaware of his license status.

The officer said the driver had failed to file a medical certificate for a Class A license. The license was placed into evidence. A second driver was stopped later that morning on the same set of circumstances. The driver said he thought it was OK to drive a private vehicle but not a commercial vehicle. (It is not).

METER READING 11:01 a.m., 7000 block of Longboat Club Drive Property damage, not vandalism: While a resident was away, a person who watches the house discovered a crack in the electrical-service meter outside. The owner asked for the caretaker to call police and file a report. The office who responded noted the crack but discovered no other damage.

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THROUGH FOR THE DAY 7:28 p.m., 200 block of Sands Point Road Suspicious person: A resort employee who had been missing from a work assignment for about an hour was found sleeping in his car by a security officer. The employee’s supervisor requested that the employee be asked to leave for the day. The employee agreed and said he hadn’t been feeling well.

JULY 2

ON THE HONEY-DO LIST 11:28 p.m., Gulf of Mexico Drive and Lyons Lane

Traffic: An officer on patrol spotted a sedan heading north with its passenger-side headlight out.

Following a traffic stop, the driver told the officer he knew the light was out and had purchased the parts necessary for the repair, but he had not completed the work. The driver and vehicle were cleared through a national and state criminal database. The driver was issued a verbal warning.

JULY 6

STORM COMING 10:14 a.m., 3300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Trespassing: A man and a woman were escorted off private property after an officer encountered them waiting for a ride. The man told the officer he and his wife live on a boat moored in Sarasota Bay behind the property, but they were leaving in advance of Tropical Storm Elsa. No criminal wants or warrants were found.

KEEPING WATCH 3:18 p.m., 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Rescue assist: Police were directed to the beach behind a Gulf of Mexico address in response to an alert from a smartwatch indicating an accidental fall. Firerescue personnel were speaking to a person on the beach, and it was determined the watch alerted accidentally, and there was no emergency.

JULY 9

TAKING THE LEAD 4:46 a.m., 1700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Traffic: A vehicle that pulled out in front of a police vehicle in a 45 mph zone quickly accelerated to upwards of 62 mph, prompting a traffic stop. A criminal check of the driver came back negative, and the driver was issued a verbal warning for speeding.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

11

There has never been a better time to sell your property

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

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

540-546 Bay Isles Road

Nat Kaemmerer

Tom Savage and Bernie Phillips wrote “Creating Life before Death.”

MONDAYS 10-11am Stretch & Strengthen 1-3pm Thinking Out Loud Discussion Group

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WEDNESDAYS 10-11am Tai Chi THURSDAYS 10-11am Zumba & Pilates FRIDAYS 10-11am Yoga & Meditation 11:30-12:30 Tai Chi Closed at 1pm on Fridays in Summer

Living and learning on a larger scale Plymouth Harbor resident hosts an eight-week seminar on continuous growth.

$10/person FREE for Members

NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

MOVIE MATINEES!

Plymouth Harbor resident Bernie Phillips has a plan to change the world. He’s starting with his neighbors at home but has designs to bring his ideas of personal evolution to Sarasota, then the American Sociological Association and beyond.

$10/person FREE for Members Includes Fresh Popped Popcorn!

1pm Thursday July 15 “A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood”

Phillips, a retired sociologist, wants to promote the idea of continual growth through personal evolution. He believes that by focusing on the individual, humanity can develop an evolutionary way of life that leads to problem-solving and a cure for the ills of society.

It begins with a seminar from Phillips and his teaching partner, Tom Savage. The first run of his eight-week program is coming to a close this month, and Phillips is optimistic about how it’s going.

“This whole thing was on my mind about, ‘Hey, how can we

1pm Thursday July 29 “Green Book”

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— Bernie Phillips

apply this to ourselves?’” Phillips said. “We’ve got to apply it to ourselves, or you can’t teach it to anyone else. So that’s when I got the idea. Here I am in Plymouth Harbor, people have plenty of time on their hands, and the people have accomplished all kinds of things, and now here they are retired. They’re active people, so I figured, ‘Hey, this is a good place.

Let me do it here.’”

As the seminar goes along, Phillips tweaks his approach and adds a bit more to the reading materials. He started his students, who are his Plymouth Harbor neighbors, with the book he wrote with Savage and others, “Creating Life Before Death,” and now assigns them reading every week. The big idea is to develop a self-image as ever-evolving. It’s a lot of internal work, but the seminar discussion often centers on how to get the idea out into the world.

“It’s what the self-help industry has been trying to do, but they haven’t had the interdisciplinary angle like we have,” Phillips said.

Phillips operates with a Japanese proverb at the forefront of his mind: “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” After he and his colleagues wrote the book, they knew that it had vision but not enough action, so in came the seminar.

“We need the vision, and we need the action,” Phillips said.

“So maybe we can change the

world — we’ll see. But our vision is really very far out in terms of changing the world. We’re not fooling around.”

Phillips wants to see humanity on an upward slope. He was put on this path in college when he was introduced to the work of C. Wright Mills, a sociologist and the author of “The Sociological Imagination” who advocated for interdisciplinary studies and communication between branches of fields. The separation of the more than 50 branches of sociology frustrates Phillips to no end, and he wants to bring it all together.

“Now, with language, we don’t have to wait for biological evolution,” Phillips said. “We could evolve all of us, if we only had a direction for how to evolve. But what happened to us is that we got sucked into early on into a way that was very hierarchical, and it was not very individualistic, so we learned to conform to this bureaucratic way of life.”

The seminar represents years of work in the making, and Phillips hopes to be able to take it to bigger stages. He’s beginning to work on Project Hope, an action to the vision he’s trying to teach. It will be a homelessness outreach program in which seminar members will find a local organization to adopt a homeless family and work with them to find interdisciplinary solutions to the issues they face, as well as work to think of solutions to the larger problems that lead to homelessness.

“If they believe that they can make a big difference in the world, that’s what I’m going to try to motivate them to do,” Phillips said.

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

Toni’s Too turns 40

COME ONE COME ALL

European Alterations by Toni and Toni’s Too is on its third location, but loyal customers have followed at every turn.

NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

T

oni Auteri says that the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten. There’s a sign that says as much hanging in her shop, European Alterations by Toni and Toni’s Too. But the shop itself has remained long after much on St. Armands Circle has been forgotten or lost to time. Last month, Auteri and her family celebrated 40 years on the Circle.

Auteri has been driving over the bridge from Sarasota to the islands for 54 years, back when doing so often meant waiting for a drawbridge. She came from Italy when she was young and began working in Westmoreland’s, a high-end women’s fashion store on the Circle.

“It was very exclusive, but all the Circle was 40 years ago,” daughter Toni Coit said.

Auteri was born in Italy and has been sewing since she was 12.

She’s now 85 and still works full time altering clothes. Her mother and grandmother were in the alteration business, too. Auteri’s daughters say it’s a dying art.

“It’s in the family,” Auteri said.

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“I don’t know anything else. Anybody can sew, but the knowledge I have of fitting, no one has. If you bring in a size 14 dress, and you’re a size 6, I can do it.”

After 14 years at Westmoreland’s, Auteri and her husband started their own business.

The owners of Westmoreland’s encouraged her, and Auteri took several of the women, who were her sisters, in the alteration shop with her.

“She used to bring me and (my sister), Tina (Bazell), to work with her, and it was all her and her sisters at the alteration shop,” Coit said. “This has always been a family thing, even when she worked elsewhere.”

Daughter Tina Bazell started working in the store when she was taking college classes and never left. She’s been working there 37 years. Coit, meanwhile, was working in a department store and didn’t have much of an interest in the alterations side.

However, when her mother began bringing clothes into the shop when she came back from trips to Italy, her interest was piqued.

She’s been there 35 years. Along the way, they’ve picked up multiple generations of customers, too.

“When somebody comes through the door, we know who she is,” Auteri said. “You know where she comes from. We know the kids.”

And now there’s a third generation in Toni’s Too. Bianca Scheip was a newborn in the store and now works alongside her mother (Coit), aunt and grandmother. A

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have gone by, and more tourists flocked to the area, the vibe got more casual.

“This isn’t a small town anymore,” Coit said.

The world has changed to be more casual too, the women noted, so they try to match the casual vibe with elegance.

“We never relied on the tourist or snowbird,” Bazell said. “We’ve always been off the beaten path, not on the main Circle. We don’t rely on foot traffic.”

Other customers come on recommendations from other clothing shops on the Circle or from longtime friends. Customers will save up clothes just to get them altered at Toni’s Too when they can.

The clientele is fiercely loyal and will come by just to sit and talk or get opinions from the generations of style in the store.

Auteri likes reminiscing with the families they’ve known for years.

“It’s nice to talk to someone from way back,” Auteri said.

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whole generation was raised in the back rooms of the store — five kids in total (three from Coit, two from Bazell) grew up at the store until they went off to school. It helped that they had a few parttime babysitters in the other women who worked in the shop.

“The girls in the back would help out,” Coit said. “They would hold the babies or feed them. It was helping out the family, which was the business.”

Sometimes, the women worked the floor of the shop with a baby in their arms. That never bothered customers, though.

“They like that it’s a family operation,” Coit said. “It was OK that we had a baby in our arms.

It didn’t take away from the high vibe of the store. The family brought a warm atmosphere.”

At the shop, not much has changed over 40 years (despite two location changes). Everything around them, though, has changed drastically, Auteri said.

Years ago, people dressed up to go to the Circle. As the years

16

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

TRIBUTES

A brief stint at General Electric was followed by a 20-year Army career. Some of Sean’s postings included time in Germany and a tour with the Royal School of Signals at Blandford Camp in Dorset, England, and graduation from the Navy Post Graduate School in Monterrey, California, followed by jump school and a tour in Vietnam.

And he attended the Command General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. But the highlight of Sean’s Army career was an assignment to the White House Communications Agency under President Carter’s administration.

On retirement from the Army, Sean was employed in communications with Conrail in Philadelphia, and also graduated from the Executive Education Program at the Darden School, University of Virginia. He continued with an active volunteer life after retirement working for the Sustainable Jobs Fund, the Community Learning

But the highlight of Sean’s Army career was an assignment to the White House Communications Agency under President Carter’s administration.

Center, Big Brothers of Philadelphia, and the Dalesford Abbey as an usher.

After moving to Longboat Key, Sean became involved with Take Stock in Children and was a Guardian Ad Litem. He was also an active Kiwanis member, a member of the Longboat Key Tennis Center, and a member of St. Mary’s Men’s Club, where he also served as a lector.

Preceded in death by his brother Brian, Sean is survived by his wife Mary, children Erik McGrath and his wife Sherry, daughters Maura Kieffer and her husband Tim, and Monika McGrath, his much loved grandchildren, and a great grandson. He is also survived by his brothers Patrick and

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Lt. Col. John “Sean” McGrath, U.S. Army (Ret.) passed away June 28, 2021. Born on October 31, 1940 in Belfast, Norther Ireland, to John and Bridget Jordan McGrath, Sean emigrated to the United States for college at Northeastern University, where he joined the ROTC. After graduation he married his college sweetheart Mary.

Terrence McGrath. He was also loved by many members of his and Mary’s extended family of nieces, nephews, and cousins, and he will be greatly missed for his wit, wisdom, charm, and service to his family and the greater community.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, 4280 Gulf of Mexico Drive, on Longboat Key. He will be laid to rest with military honors in the church memorial garden after the service. To send condolences please visit www.toalebrothers.com.

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Lt. Col. John “Sean” McGrath, U.S. Army (Ret.) 1940-2021

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

No snooze, you lose Getting enough sleep is crucial to our well-being.

Here are some steps to ensure you’re getting enough of it.

to the coffee pot for that jolt of caffeine? And are you growing tired of reading how important sleep is to our well-being, the elixir saving you from all ills yet denied you because of your insomnia, or your destructive late night habits? Join the club.

A PUBLIC HEALTH EPIDEMIC

KRISTINE NICKEL

D

o you long for those days when you could sleep for a solid eight hours, never getting up to make a trip to the bathroom and staring at the ceiling for an hour or two when you return?

Or when you climbed into bed, rolled over on your side, fell asleep without counting back from 100 by sevens and awoke refreshed instead of crawling

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared that insufficient sleep is a public health epidemic, and the U.S. is not alone in this. It seems that more than a third of adults in developed countries do not get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Why is this a defined public health problem? The more scientists have discovered the reasons why we sleep, the more they understand that sleeping is the third leg of the wellness stool — diet and exercise are the others.

We now know sleep props up our immune system aiding our bodies in their resistance to diseases as potentially fatal as cancer and heart disease. Psychiatric diseases, such as depression

and anxiety, are amplified by a lack of sleep. Adequate sleep is an important defense against Alzheimer’s disease. Sleep helps us stay slim by regulating hunger hormones.

The bottom line is sleep is the body’s way of enhancing a multitude of functions to keep us healthy. Most scientists studying sleep now concur adequate sleep is the best thing we can do to stay well.

IS THOMAS EDISON TO BLAME?

Not really, but the invention of electric lights and before that gas and oil lamps upset the natural order of things (you sleep when the sun goes down and get up when the sun comes up). We now have all manners of artificial illumination to change when we are motivated to lay our heads down. The way our brains perceive light triggers the release of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Melatonin takes a few hours to bring about sleep.

The importance of this cannot be underestimated. Matthew Walker in his brilliant book, “Why We Sleep,” explains it this way: “The degree to which evening electric light winds back your internal 24-hour clock is important: usually two to three hours each evening, on average.”

BLUE LIGHT NOT SO SPECIAL

More bad news: Blue LED light has an even more deleterious effect on melatonin release than the yellow of incandescent bulbs. The blue light emitted from electronic sources is even more sleep disturbing. That compounded by other factors — what is known as the “alert” factor of electronic devices — makes the use of tablets, phones and other devices further damaging to sleep.

Step No. 1 to better sleep is to limit your use of electronic devices beginning in the late afternoon, use lower lighting in the evening and keep your bedroom dark at night. If you must use electronic devices, use yellow-tinted glasses, which help filter blue light, and use them in the afternoon and evening.

CHILL OUT — LESS ALCOHOL, LESS HEAT

The hard truth is alcohol is a sedative, and sedatives do not create useful sleep. Sedatives affect the brain like anesthesia.

Alcohol also causes you to wake up frequently as well as disrupt REM sleeping, where much of sleep’s restorative processes occur. Stop drinking alcohol, or keep it to a minimum.

As for the temperature in your sleeping quarters, like alcohol,

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

17

less is more. For a great night’s sleep, you need to reduce your body’s core temperature by 2-3 degrees. Not surprising, melatonin release is also spurred by a reduction in your temperature.

Now that you’re feeling like steps to improve your sleep will thrust you back into the cave, take heart. There are massive technological steps being taken, ranging from tying personal sleep data to temperature control in your sleeping quarters or directing the lighting in your home to release melatonin in a more natural sequence.

The chief thing to remember is improving sleep is worth it.

Kristine Nickel is a marketing communications consultant and former marketing and public relations executive.

For more than 30 years, she has relieved her stress by writing features for publications across the country.

TRIBUTES

He cultivated innumerable deep and meaningful friendships throughout the community, and many consider him a mentor or an honorary ‘uncle.’ He had a positive and profound impact on the lives of everyone he touched.

William R. (“Bill”) Korp. Born November 29, 1932; died June 25, 2021.

Last Friday we lost a friend, a father, a grandfather, a husband, a brother, and a mentor. Bill was a man of valor, beloved by all who were touched by him. May his memory be a blessing.

Born in Lima, Ohio, Bill moved with his parents, Enid and Logan Korp, brother Richard and sister Marilyn to Orlando, Florida in 1933. Bill attended Kaley Elementary School; Cherokee Junior High School, where he was the Ninth Grade Class President; and Orlando High School where he was president of his Senior Class. He also played Varsity Basketball at OHS and was selected as Most Valuable Player in 1950. He graduated in 1950 with Honors and received a basketball scholarship to The University of Florida. At UF, he pledged Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and was a fervent member of Gator Nation his whole life.

After graduating from Florida, Bill was commissioned by the US Air Force. He was stationed in Japan during the Korean Conflict attaining the rank of First Lieutenant.

He served as a navigator on reconnaissance missions and dealt in electronic countermeasures. He was proud of his military career, always believed in serving his country, and relished every aspect of his time in the Air Force. However, it also created in him a life-long aversion to standing in lines.

Upon leaving the Air Force in 1959, Bill returned to Florida, took advantage of the GI Bill, and enrolled at the Stetson University College of Law in St Petersburg, Florida. He graduated in 1962. One evening in 1961, he tried to pick up Kate Page in The Stetson University Library. She was preoccupied that evening, but he was uniquely nice, respectful, and persistent. When he invited her to dinner and the ballet, she realized he might be special. After Kate returned from graduate work in France, they became close friends and then lovers and eventually married in 1963. In 1964, Bill, Kate, and Kate’s dog “Snitzy” moved to

Sarasota. Bill often liked to comment that when he got married, he got a dog.

In Sarasota, Bill began his law practice, founding the firm Stinnett, Surfus, Korp & Payne. His partners in this first venture included Robert Stinnett, Jerry Surfus, and Howard Payne. The firm was eventually joined by Richard Nelson. Kate accepted a position teaching Art at Sarasota High School. Several years later, Bill established Korp & Wheeler, Attorneys at Law, in Venice, Florida. Kate accepted a position with Manatee Community College South Campus teaching Art and Art History & Appreciation. In 1971, their son William Alexander was born.

In 1979, Bill helped organize the law practice of Isphording, Korp, Payne & Muirhead. Bill, Roger Isphording, Howard Payne, and Bill Muirhead remained partners for almost 20 years. In 1998, Bill joined Abel, Band and then Lutz, Bobo, and Telfair in 2009. At these latter two firms, he became good friends with and mentor to Scott Gordon. In 2020, the Senior Counsel of Sarasota County bestowed upon Bill the prestigious Esteemed Colleague Award. He loved the practice of law and looked forward to going to the office every weekday, including the Monday before he checked himself into the hospital.

Bill was active in many Florida civic and political activities, and he served on the State Committee to Reelect President Gerald R. Ford. In 1976, Bill and Kate were invited by President Ford to a State Dinner at the White House honoring the Emperor and Empress of Japan. He was

State Chairman of the Young Republican Club from 1964 to 1966. He participated in the Sarasota County Republican Executive Committee (1966-1975), Time Sifters Archaeology Society, and the Gulf Coast Italian Culture Society (GCICS). He was president of these latter two organizations for many years.

The fine arts and performing arts were particular pleasures for Bill and he ardently supported local theatre and music, especially the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art, the Asolo Theatre, and the Sarasota Opera.

Bill’s interests in art, history and archaeology led him around the world. Bill and Kate honeymooned amidst Mayan Pyramids and navigated treacherous Incan roads. Eventually, their son Alex joined them, and they travelled even further afield. The family safaried in East Africa, boated down the Nile, and walked in the footsteps of the ancient Greeks. In Europe, they toured countless castles and museums and indulged in their shared love of unique cuisines. Over the years, they often returned to Europe, and Bill and Kate’s out-going, fun-loving and generous personalities attracted people who would become life-long friends everywhere they went. When his son married and had children of his own, the rental cars got bigger and so did the adventures. Of all his travels, the night spent at Abu Simbel, Egypt was his favorite.

Besides the Arts, Bill loved everything about the outdoors and was an avid birdwatcher. He enjoyed sailing, fishing, and all

water sports. He especially loved restoring old boats, though perhaps they didn’t always love him back. Among his favorites were his sailboat “Ricochet,” named for its tendency of bouncing off docks, his fishing boat “Bad Companion,” and his ski boat “Kate’s Craft.” One of his great joys was teaching his son and his son’s friends to fish, camp, and water ski.

He delighted in entertaining and the parties he and Kate threw were legendary.

He cultivated innumerable deep and meaningful friendships throughout the community, and many consider him a mentor or an honorary ‘uncle.’ He had a positive and profound impact on the lives of everyone he touched.

Most of all, he cherished his family and despite all his interests and commitments, he was always present. Never missing a game, performance, or exhibit, Bill always made time for those he loved. He treasured his role as husband, father, and grandfather.

Bill is survived by his wife Kate of 59 years, his son Alex, his daughter-in-law, Christina and his grandchildren, Brielle and Logan. He is also survived by Kate’s goddaughter, Francesca Turner and her daughter Uli. A celebration of life is planned for later in the summer.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mayor’s Feed the Hungry Program, the GCICS Scholarship Fund, or the Sarasota Opera.

CELEBRATION OF LIFE: Later in the summer DONATIONS: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mayor’s Feed the Hungry Program, the GCICS Scholarship Fund, or the Sarasota Opera.

361374-1

William R. (“Bill”) Korp 1932-2021

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

Chain reaction The play highlights a tale of historical deeds involving Albert Einstein and contralto Marian Anderson.

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

Deborah Brevoort’s “My Lord, What a Night” explores the explosive consequences that flowed from a real-life historical event.

The time is 1937; the place, Princeton, New Jersey. Marian Anderson, the celebrated Black contralto, had just performed in concert to a standing ovation. A racist insult quickly followed this honor. The whitesonly Nassau Inn refused to give her a room. Albert Einstein was one of Anderson’s biggest fans.

He had driven her to the hotel after her performance. After they turned Anderson away, he drove her to his home. Einstein then offered to let her stay there for the night. Anderson accepted — and a powerful chain reaction ensued.

The play begins at the moment they’ve just walked in.

The sense of urgency does too.

A mob of reporters gathers on Einstein’s (aka David Edwards) front lawn. You can’t see them, but you can hear them — clamoring to come inside for a quote or a photograph. White Brainboy Opens Doors to Black Songbird! Now that’s a story! Then Einstein’s supervisor, Abraham Flexner (Rod Brogan), arrives.

He wants to make sure there’s no story to print.

Flexner tries to relocate Anderson (Thursday Farrar) to the “colored YMCA.” It seems like a craven fear of bad PR at first, but his motives go deeper.

Flexner is the head of Princ-

eton’s Institute for Advanced Study and has been using that position to rescue a handful of Jewish scientists from Nazi Germany. Princeton University is still on the quota system — a racist quota that strictly limits the number of Jewish faculty members. If Einstein’s latest bleeding-heart deed grabs national headlines, the university might shut the doors to any more — refugees included.

Anderson actually considers leaving. Then Mary Church Terrell (Nehassaiu deGannes) arrives. She’s the founder of the National Association of Colored Women, and she wants the contralto to take a public stand.

Will she?

The conflict boils down to a war between public and private self. On the one hand, a physicist who has become a public figure and gleefully uses his fame to push for political change. On the other hand, a talented singer who doesn’t want to turn into a symbol, though that might give her the power to actually change things.

The play fast-forwards to 1939, the year of Anderson’s groundbreaking concert at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. She was originally scheduled to sing at Constitution Hall. The Daughters of the American Revolution objected because of her skin color. Her first thought is to reach out to Eleanor Roosevelt, a high-profile DAR member.

(Thanks to Einstein’s friendship with the first lady, that’s possible.) She could pressure the organization to change. Roosevelt actually resigns from the DAR. It occurs to Anderson that singing to a segregated, whitesonly audience is no victory, but singing in public to everybody at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial is. That sets the stage for Anderson’s groundbreaking

IF YOU GO What: “My Lord, What a Night” When: Through Aug. 15 Tickets: $36-$39 Where: FST Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave. Info: Call 366-9000, or visit FloridaStudioTheatre. org.

concert — and the very public stand she takes. But that uplifting moment is undercut by dark history. Einstein, the pacifist, gets word that Hitler’s scientists are working on an atomic bomb. As much as he loathes it, he has to write to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and tell him that America needs to build its own A-bomb first. Oy. The acting is strong, but underplayed. These are smart, civilized individuals. Expect no shouting match. Farrar’s portrayal is very internalized.

Her Anderson doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve, and she thinks about every word before she says it. Edwards’ Einstein is a bit of an easy-going prankster, and he’s got nothing to prove. He’s very lighthearted, until some outrage stirs his sense of injustice. (He reminds me of the Silicon Valley billionaires who go around in tattered, old clothes because they can.)

DeGannes’ Terrell burns with gemlike flame. Her character is no spring chicken, but her inner conviction drives her to feats of prodigious energy — and sometimes to the point of collapse.

Brogan’s Flexner is nuanced. He keeps advocating for the easy way out. He knows how weak he seems, but he’s motivated by an inner strength.

Lea Umberger’s costumes perfectly fit the characters. They range from Anderson’s precisely tailored public image on the one extreme and Einstein’s indifference to appearance on the other. Scenic designers Isabel

Photo courtesy of Matthew Holler

David Edwards and Thursday Farrar

and Moriah Curley-Clay depict Einstein’s study as a place of creative chaos. Doric columns imply classical order. But books and papers proliferate like kudzu all around them.

Kate Alexander’s direction brings order to this clash of personalities. You’re clear on where everybody stands. She maintains that clarity while strictly avoiding the artificiality of an obvious message play. Brava.

Brevoort’s script is strong.

The playwright achieves that strength without hype. Her characters are real; their dialogue is never forced. If this play had been a TV episode, they’d call it a bottle show. It’s a small, self-contained action in a

5 Ways to Worship at All Angels

St. Armands Key

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LUTHERAN CHURCH

• Indoor worship services this Sunday at 10 am • Drive-in Church, Sunday at 10:00. Tune your car radio to 107.5 FM

JOIN US FOR IN-PERSON WORSHIP SUNDAYS AT 10AM or worship with us online at saklc.com/live or on Facebook Coffee and Treats - Sunday between 9-10am UPCOMING EVENTS: SUMMER MOVIE NIGHT Friday, July 16 at 6:30 featuring “Casablanca” FREE EVENT

• Walk-up Church, enjoy the garden setting and listen to the service • Live-stream - go to AllAngelsLBK.org to watch on-line

Growing in Jesus’ Name

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

941-383-8161 • www.AllAngelsLBK.org

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St. Armands Key Lutheran Church • 40 North Adams Dr., Sarasota, FL • 941.388.1234 • Questions? Contact: michael@saklc.com

Worship With Us at Our Church

St. Mary, Star of the Sea,

Sunday Service 10:00 AM The Rev. Dr. Norman Pritchard

Would like to Welcome & Invite You, Your Family Members & Friends to Celebrate Mass with Our Parish Community

Catholic Church

Masks Are Optional

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www.bit.ly/cclbksermons or www.christchurchof lbk.org (follow YouTube link) •

941.383.8833 (office)

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An Ecumenical Church that Welcomes all People Founded in 1956

•

www.christchurchlbk.org

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

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

Follow us on Facebook • www.longboatislandchapel.org

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

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Visitors & Residents Welcome Watch Our 10:00 AM Service Live:

6400 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

single room, but it stands for big moments of history unfolding in the world outside. Brevoort’s captured lightning in a bottle with this play. That’s never easy.

But she did it.

“My Lord, What a Night” offers an insightful glimpse at two game-changing moments in history. It’s the kind of meaty summer fare you expect at Florida Studio Theatre. But that’s not the only stage where it’s now opening. FST’s local premiere is part of the National New Play Network’s rolling world premiere at theaters nationwide now. We hope it’ll keep rolling in the future.

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

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

Rev. Robert Dziedziak, Pastor

Temple Beth Israel

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

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

All TBI physical gatherings are postponed until further notice.

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

941.383.3428 | www.tbi-lbk.org

RABBI STEPHEN L. SNIDERMAN, D.D.

567 Bay Isles Road • Longboat Key, FL

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Classifieds 30 Games 29 Real Estate 26 Weather 29

JULY 15, 2021

YOUR NEIGHBORS TALES OF

F

SUMMER ew things are as certain in Florida life as summer humidity and afternoon thunderstorms. When the

File photo

Barb Torrence says new titles are arriving all the time at the Longboat Key Library.

weather forces Longboaters indoors, often the old-

fashioned choice for entertainment works best: picking up a book from the local library. The Longboat Library is open from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Fridays. Library volunteer Barb Torrence took a break from sorting

FOR THE DAYDREAMER “The Midnight Library”

by Matt Haig What’s better than a book about books?

Torrence recommended this book for those with their heads in the clouds. It tells the story of the Midnight Library, a place full of books about every timeline imaginable.

One book contains the story of a person’s life as they know it while other volumes follow how their lives would have changed if they had made different choices. The protagonist is a woman named Nora who is going back through her old breakups, career decisions and what makes her Nora.

Although it seems heavy, it’s ultimately a feel-good book that makes the reader reflect on themselves.

newly donated books recenty to chat with reporter Nat Kaemmerer about some of her favorites on the shelves.

FOR THE VISITING BEACH BUM “No Sunscreen For the Dead” by Tim Dorsey This is a new addition to the Longboat Library, but it’s the 22nd installment in the “Serge Storms” series. The Carl Hiaasenesque cover makes it clear that this could take place nowhere else than the Sunshine State.

Specifically, this one takes place partly in Sarasota, which Dorsey, a former reporter for the nowdefunct Tampa Tribune, calls a cultural mecca for retirees. Serge Storms himself is retiring, though when a bout of murdersuicides turn up, he just might get back in the game. If you haven’t had enough of the Sarasota sun, pick this one up, slather on the SPF and hit the beach.

FOR THE TRAVELER “Auntie Poldi and the Vineyards of Etna”

by Mario Giordano Torrence recommended this wine-soaked murder mystery, which will take the reader to Sicily to follow the retired Auntie Poldi as she ferrets out a killer. It starts with a body in a vineyard and goes crazy from there. This is the second installment in the “Auntie Poldi” chronicles, which follow the titular heroine as she just tries to enjoy her Italian retirement. The two others, “Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions” and “Auntie Poldi and the Handsome Antonio,” also take place in Sicily. Pick this one up with a glass of wine, and spend an afternoon in Sicily.

FOR THE MYSTERYLOVER “One By One”

by Ruth Ware Mystery, along with history, is the most frequently requested genre, so there are swaths of secret-stuffed stories. One of the most recent additions is “One By One” by Ruth Ware, which Torrence recommended. It’ll take the reader to a land far away from summer on Longboat Key to a snowy mountain chalet where nine co-workers are snowed in. None can trust another, and when an avalanche hits, the body count begins to rise. Read this to cool down and send a chill up your spine.

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

CONV E RSAT I O N WITH BO FULLER

P

lenty of Longboat Keyarea organizations take the summer off, but that’s when the Rotary Club of Longboat Key takes the time to install new leadership and get fresh management running.

This year, 44-year-old Bo Fuller was installed as the club’s president on June 22 and starts his term amid a Longboat Key that’s just waking up after the pandemic. He’s a Realtor in Sarasota with a family history in Rotary-relevant service.

Although Fuller has only been in the area for just more than a year, he’s already jumped into getting to know the Longboat Key area and its Rotarians service passions.

Why did you join the Rotary Club?

My dad was a Rotarian, so my whole life, I always heard about Rotary and people of action and taking leadership roles and helping serve. He was also a real estate agent and a builder, so we both kind of have that service heart, and Rotary just helps me facilitate that service aspect and especially the Longboat Key club. I’m downtown, and that was part of the process when I got here was to figure out what club (to join) because I had joined the club up in North Carolina before I moved down. I just have a true love for Longboat Key to begin with, but the club seemed more service-oriented, and so it really was a good fit.

What do you enjoy most?

Everyone that I’ve met, from (member) John Brill to Phillipe Koenig, whose wife started the

“There’s some things that happened during COVID that probably brought out a lot of other people’s service hearts, and it just made a lot of people want to contribute more and make a difference.

When you do an event and see the happiness and see the way you’re making a difference, it’s just a special feeling, and I think a lot of people want to be a part of that.”

— Bo Fuller Nat Kaemmerer

Bo Fuller was sworn in as president of the Rotary Club of Longboat Key in June.

club, you can just sense that there’s a genuine service heart in all of them. It feels like a family.

Why did you want to take on a leadership role?

I like to challenge myself. I’ve always been interested in Rotary since my dad was in Rotary years ago in Georgia, and he served in leadership roles as president, and I just saw the profound effect that had on him. I think it’s also about being new here. It really sort of helps me connect with other club members as well as the community.

What will your presidency look like?

We’re excited, obviously, that we can be back out and in the public

and be doing things. I’m a runner, … and we’ve talked about doing anything from a 5K, even to possibly a marathon on the Key to raise money for kids.

I like the idea of collaborating with other local clubs, possibly like Kiwanis or some of the others to do a big event. We tossed around like doing an oyster roast for the police and fire (departments) and making that an annual event so we can bring people together to get to know each other a little bit more.

What does the future of the club look like?

We’ve been trying to be as active as we can. We get together routinely and do the trash pickup on Gulf of Mexico Drive and things

like that.

We had a lot of people that stopped by that were interested in the club on the Fourth of July, so I think people are ready to get back out and do things.

There’s some things that happened during COVID that probably brought out a lot of other people’s service hearts, and it just made a lot of people want to contribute more and make a difference. When you do an event and see the happiness and see the way you’re making a difference, it’s just a special feeling, and I think a lot of people want to be a part of that. I’m excited.

I think it’s going to be a really good year.

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Bruce Myer

Realtor

|

THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

®

941.387.1847

595 BAY ISLES ROAD, SUITE 250 LONGBOAT KEY, FL 34228

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Follow us at www.brucemyerblog.com

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

THURSDAY, JULY 15

MIDWEEK MOVIE MATINEE AT THE PARADISE CENTER At 1 p.m., watch “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. The movie is based on the true story of a friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. Cost is $10 per person or free for Paradise Center members. There will be popcorn.

RSVP to ParadiseCenterRSVP@ gmail.com.

SUNDAY, JULY 18

SKI-A-REES WATER SKI SHOW At 2 p.m. at 1602 Ken Thompson Parkway, stop by for a free water ski show. Call 388-1666, or visit SkiARees.com for information.

RECURRING EVENTS MONDAYS

STRETCH & STRENGTHEN From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Focus is on strength-training and flexibility for balance. Class is led by Suzy Brenner. Fee is $10. Walk-ins welcome. For information, call 383-6493.

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

Topics will include U.S. and world current affairs, popular culture and topics relevant to seniors.

Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome.

For information, call 383-6493.

MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY

LORD’S WAREHOUSE From 9 a.m. until noon, shop at the Lord’s Warehouse thrift store.

All proceeds from the store go to charity, and donations are welcome too. Indoor and outdoor shopping will be available, but there is a limit of five customers at a time inside the warehouse.

Masks are required. Visit LongboatIslandChapel.org for information.

TUESDAYS

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

Qi gong is a mind-body-spirit practice designed to improve mental and physical health. Class is outdoors, weather permitting.

Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome.

For information, call 383-6493.

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

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

WEDNESDAYS

TAI CHI From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Class is outdoors, weather permitting.

Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome.

For information, call 383-6493.

THURSDAYS

KIWANIS CLUB OF LONGBOAT KEY At 8:30 a.m. at Lazy Lobster, 5350 Gulf of Mexico Drive. This service organization meets every first and third Thursday of the month for breakfast and a speaker. Breakfast is $10. Email President Lynn Larson at LynnLarson@comcast.net to register.

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

Killdeer W

ith their bright red eye rings and two distinctive black breast-bands, killdeer are a striking species of plovers. In response to human expansion, these shorebirds, unlike other plovers, have adapted to live in upland areas, far from water. You can find them in open areas with short or sparse vegetation, such as golf courses, airports and extensive lawns. They will also nest on gravel parking lots and rooftops.

Like all plovers, killdeer nest on the ground, and their chicks are precocial, which means they leave the nest soon after hatching and feed themselves. Because ground nests and flightless chicks are extremely vulnerable to predators, killdeer have multiple adaptations that help them protect their next generation. First, their nests, which are shallow scrapes, usually in bare sand or gravel but occasionally among sparse vegetation, have no physical nest structure that would draw attention. And the coloring of their eggs and chicks blends into the environment, thus enabling them to avoid detection by predators.

Killdeer are also known for a common plover distraction tactic for protecting their eggs and young, the “broken wing display.” When an adult bird notices a predator (which includes humans) near its nest or young, it moves away, dragging one or both

Miri Hardy

wings while calling loudly to further draw attention to itself.

Predators follow, assuming it is injured, and can be therefore easily caught. Once the intruder has been drawn far away from the nest or the chicks (which in the meantime assume a protective stance, crouching perfectly camouflaged on the ground), the killdeer quickly flies off.

And the predator, no longer a threat, is left bewildered and behind.

Killdeer, which are named for their shrill, two-syllable call, are shorebirds that are equally at home away from the beach.

— MIRI HARDY, SAVE OUR SEABIRDS

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

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BE NCH M A R K R E SU LTS • S T R AT EGIC M A R K ET I NG • PE R SONA L I Z ED SE RV ICE

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3060 GRAND BAY BLVD. #132 | LONGBOAT KEY | OFFERED AT $1,050,000 Enjoy big Sarasota Bay views from this 3 bedroom Biscayne floor plan in Building 1 at the pet friendly community of Grand Bay behind the gates of Bay Isles.

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I A N A DDY, PA R E A LT O R ®, M B A

IanAddy@MichaelSaunders.com

I A N A DDY, PA R E A LT O R ®, M B A

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

PET PICS Have photos of your four-legged family members? We want to see them! Share them at YourObserver.com/contests/pet-pics to be published online and for a chance to see them in print!

Thank you to our friends and clients for your trust and loyalty!

THE BEST Just got better

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1425 GULF OF MEXICO DR #201 3 BR/4BA | 2,107 SQ FT $1,695,000 See and hear the waves splashing from your 30-foot balcony or your master bedroom here at the prestigious Players Club on Longboat Key.

St. Armands Place

The Oaks - Bayside

PENDING

SOLD

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254 S POLK DR #102

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$2,495,000

3BR/4BA | 2,742 SQ FT This true 3 bedroom gulf view condo is designed for today's lifestyle and has an unbelievable 1,200 sq ft garage. Open floor plan and coastal contemporary finishes.

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282 OSPREY POINT DR.

$1,589,000

3BR/4.5BA | 4,599 SQ FT One of Florida's finest Estate homes in The Oaks, this residence is the definition of luxury and design.

This prestigious gated neighborhood in Sarasota is known for its beautiful tree-lined streets.

The Pearl

EAT YOUR GREENS: Tonka Ford Dawson of Sleepy Lagoon on Longboat Key eats his peas like a good boy.

Arlington Park

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

SOLD

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609 GOLDEN GATE PT #501 $2,690,000 3BR/3BA/1HB| 2,750 SQ FT The most striking 5th-floor penthouse located in the nearly newly constructed Pearl at soughtafter Golden Gate Point community is sure to impress the moment you walk through the door.

• Consistent top producer on Longboat Key • In-depth knowledge of the real estate market • Active in our community with Longbeach Village Association Longboat Key Historical Society Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce Longboat Key Garden Club

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$305,900

2BR/2BA | 1,044 SQ FT Situated on a charming tree-lined quiet street, this two-bedroom and two-bath home is located on a nice size lot and ready for you to renovate.

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5840 GULF OF MEXICO DR.

CathyMeldahl@michaelsaunders.com

INVOLVED CITIZENS

Work with JoDene

SPARCC (Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center) | Meals on Wheels | LBK Rotary Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe | Mote Marine Supporters

GLOBAL MARKETING REACH

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REID MURPHY & The Boys PRESENT

LUXURY ON THE WATER BUYING or SELLING

Call Reid for a successful real estate experience!

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

SARASOTA PENTHOUSE $5,875,000 LONGBOAT KEY PRE-CONSTRUCTION $3,995,000 Downtown Ritz Carlton 3BR Ensuite Residence. Magnificent 4,276 sf open floor plan. Spectacular Unique opportunity to purchase a waterfront dream home on an extremely private estate-sized views. World class amenities. lot. 5BR, 5.5BA home,4,400 SF. Pool w/spa. Deep water dock.

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$5,500,000 LONGBOAT KEY SANCTUARY $2,895,000 BIRD KEY BOATERS PARADISE Direct beachfront 3BR behind the gates at LBK Club. Southern exposure. Largest Gulffront floorplan Beautiful Bird Key custom home. 4BD/4BA +nursery/office w/master. Many upgrades inside and out 100ft Sarasota Bay frontage w/ bay front infinity pool. Deep water slip w/new dock, large lift with wrap around terrace. & 2 jet ski lifts. Four car garage.

NEWLISTING

LONGBOAT KEY EMERALD HARBOR $1,695,000 3BR/4BA on 100 foot canal front w/dock & newer seawall to accommodate water toys & large vessel with easy access to intracoastal & Bay. Deeded beach access across the street.

PENDING

LONGBOAT KEY GRAND MARINER $2,295,000 Bayfront 3BD/4BA, second floor 2,928 SF. Deep water dock with power, water, pump station & 20,000 lb. lift. Privately coded elevator & 2 car garage.

HOLMES BEACH ISLAND PARADISE $1,125,000 Gulf front. Furnished 3BD/2BA open plan in this six unit complex with great rental opportunities.

SOLD

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

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LONGBOAT PRESERVE $1,695,000 3BD/3.5BA home in the exclusive new enclave of 12 new construction, light filled & luxurious coastal contemporary homes in the Preserve of Longboat Key.

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

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

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

REAL ESTATE

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

Mistletoe Lane home sells for $3.1 million

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

JUNE 28-JULY 2

Paul and Frances Edwards, of Hudson, Massachusetts, for $1.58 million. Built in 1956, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,621 square feet of living area. It sold for $611,500 in 2015.

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

A

home in Corey’s Landing tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Minakshi Sukumar, trustee, and Prabha Sukumar, of Darnestown, Maryland, sold the home at 3560 Mistletoe Lane to Robert McGee, of Longboat Key, for $3.1 million. Built in 1991, it has three bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,796 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.3 million in 2008.

SANDHAMN

Christian and Rosemary Bertelsen sold their home at 5382 Sandham Place to Clyde Thomas and Mary Alice Thomas, of Longboat Key, for $2.83 million.

Built in 1996, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,330 square feet of living area.

ORCHID BEACH CLUB RESIDENCES

Frida Israel-Bagel, of Mechanicsville, Virginia, sold her Unit A602 condominium at 2050 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Stephen and Deborah Gordon, trustees, of Sarasota, for $2.4

BIRD KEY

James Briggs sold the home at 436 Pheasant Way to James Anthony Briggs and Corey Briggs, of Naperville, Illinois, for $1.56 million. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, four-anda-half baths, a pool and 4,289 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.8 million in 2007.

Courtesy photo

The home at 5382 Sandhamn Place was built in 1996. It has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,330 square feet of living area.

million. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three-and-ahalf baths and 3,242 square feet of living area.

THE BEACH RESIDENCES

Beachstang LLC sold the Unit 406 condominium at 1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Jeffrey DelGreco and Janet Jeranek-DelGreco, of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, for $2.23 million. Built in 2005, it has two bedrooms, three baths and 3,017 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.3 million in 2005.

COUNTRY CLUB SHORES

Pierre and Amy Nedelcovych, of Hollywood, sold their home at 595 Bowsprit Lane to Daniel Lee Duenkel and Alexandra Marie

Duenkel, of Longboat Key, for $2.35 million. Built in 1966, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,550 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.17 million in 2006.

LONGBEACH ON LONGBOAT KEY

Christopher and Judith Dixon, of Longboat Key, sold their home at 651 Broadway St. to Paul Timothy Tario and Marilyn Bartlett, trustees, of Lakeland, for $1.6 million. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,320 square feet of living area. It sold for $699,000 in 2009.

LONGBOAT KEY ESTATES

Diana Paul, of Osprey, sold her home at 545 Rountree Drive to

MRP Properties Sarasota LLC sold the home at 605 Wild Turkey Lane to Robert and Robin Rossi, trustees, of Sarasota, for $1.5 million. Built in 1972, it has three bedrooms, three-anda-half baths, a pool and 2,200 square feet of living area. It sold for $805,000 in 2019.

SEA GATE CLUB

Steven and Maria Piazza, of Lynnfield, Massachusetts, sold their Unit 13-D condominium at 2425 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Westside Sunshine LLC for $1.5 million. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,470 square feet of living area. It sold for $599,000 in 2012.

Palma Properties LLC sold the Unit 8-F condominium at 2425 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Sea Gate LBK 8F LLC for $1.4 SEE REAL ESTATE, PAGE 28

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

|

27

YEAR-TO-DATE STATISTICS SARASOTA Current Inventory Sold 2021

SFH

209

370

2,018

3,230

63

43

$374

$271

97.4%

98.2%

Days on Market (Solds) Sold Price per Sq. Ft. Sale Price vs List Price Ratio

Aquarius Club - Longboat Key

LONGBOAT KEY

CONDO

CONDO

SFH

39

16

343

139

69

78

$557

$570

97.4%

97%

Current Inventory Sold 2021 Days on Market (Solds) Sold Price per Sq. Ft. Sale Price vs List Price Ratio

Pierre - Longboat Key

Oyster Bay - West of Trail

Country Club Shores - Longboat Key

CALL US FOR THE LATEST PROPERTIES AVAILABLE! Beachplace - Longboat Key

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We’ve done the research and know how to win in this market.

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RYAN ACKERMAN ryan@ackermangroup.net

ackermansrq.com

BARBARA ACKERMAN barbara@ackermangroup.net

The Ackerman Group Sales Activity Just in June...

PENDING MARINA BAY - LONGBOAT KEY 2410 HARBOURSIDE DR., #132 $1,695,000 REPRESENTING SELLER

PENDING

PENDING

PENDING

SOLD

PROMENADE - LONGBOAT KEY 1211 GULF OF MEXICO DR., #102 $1,175,000 REPRESENTING SELLER

SAGE - LONGBOAT KEY NEW CONSTRUCTION - UNIT 304 $5,800,000 REPRESENTING BUYER

GRAND BAY 3080 GRAND BAY BLVD #182 $1,400,000 REPRESENTING BUYER

SIESTA KEY 107 OCEAN PLACE $3,600,000 REPRESENTING SELLER

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

PENDING

AQUARIUS - LONGBOAT KEY 1701 GULF OF MEXICO DR., #209 $915,000 REPRESENTING SELLER

THE Q - DOWNTOWN 267 COSMOPOLITAN COURT $1,730,000 REPRESENTING SELLER

EMERALD HARBOR - LONGBOAT KEY 651 EMERALD HARBOR ROAD $1,250,000 REPRESENTING SELLER

SEAPLACE - LONGBOAT KEY 2089 GULF OF MEXICO DR., #G1-105 $603,000 REPRESENTING SELLER

SOLEMAR - POMPANO BEACH 1116 N OCEAN BLVD. #PH1 $5,750,000 REPRESENTING BUYER

This is not a solicitation of another broker’s listing.. Market data supplied by Market Quest June 2021.

360522-1

443 JOHN RINGLING BLVD., STE., F | SARASOTA, FL 34236 • 595 BAY ISLES RD., SUITE 250 | LONGBOAT KEY, FL 34228

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

Real estate FROM PAGE 26

million. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,513 square feet of living area. It sold for $650,000 in 2015.

Cathy Bachmann Ethridge and Betsy Bachmann Kushen, trustees, sold the Unit 12-D condominium at 2425 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Michael and Susan Lesburg, of Longboat Key, for $1.4 million. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,470 square feet of living area. It sold for $97,500 in 1992.

QUEENS HARBOUR

Marilyn Kayser sold her home at 3543 Fair Oaks Lane to Jan Hurwitz, trustee, of Boston, for $1.42 million. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,832 square feet of living area. It sold for $615,400 in 1997.

THE AQUARIUS CLUB

David and Linda Van Howe, trustees, of Port Huron, Michigan, sold the Unit 2-J condominium at 1701 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Dhiren and Aneeta Patel, of Longboat Key, for $915,000.

Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,551 square feet of living area. It sold for $516,500 in 2009.

THE PLAYERS CLUB II

Andrea and Gary Kaye, of Ontario, sold their Unit 405 condominium at 1465 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Patrice Helen Fanning, of Littleton, Colorado, for $888,000. Built in 1981, it has

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

two bedrooms, two baths and 1,368 square feet of living area. It sold for $710,000 in 2004.

These are the largest building permits issued by the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Department for the week of July 1-8 in order of dollar amounts.

LONGBEACH PERIWINKLE

Judith Mulroy, trustee, of Bradenton, sold the Unit 14 condominium at 7095 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Gregory Watts, of Moultonborough, New Hampshire, for $852,000. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,170 square feet of living area. It sold for $197,800 in 1989.

L O N G B OAT K E Y ADDRESS 540 Harbor Gate Way

PERMIT Renovations

APPLICANT Harry Eisenberg,

AMOUNT $863,000

trustee 608 Bayview Drive

Lot preparation

Anthony Skidmore

4500 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Kitchen and bath

Donald Warth

$562,942 $122,735

#4500 renovations

THE PROMENADE

Ronald Howard and Ana Larrabure, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 405 condominium at 1211 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Michael and Patricia Lotane, of Yarmouth, Massachusetts, for $845,000.

Built in 1985, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,598 square feet of living area. It sold for $590,000 in 2013.

710 Tarawitt Drive

Seawall

Klemen Ribic

$81,022

1965 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Renovations

Donald Benevenga

$55,835

572 Lyons Lane

Dock, boat lift,

Gregory Crawford

PWC lift

590 Jessmyth Drive

Seawall

Frederick Merizon

$47,000

548 Gunwale Drive

Seawall

Whitehead family

$45,392

#202 $47,415

living trust

541 Harbor Point Road

Spa construction

Dominic Zaccone

$45,000

Joy Wombles, trustee, of Nicholasville, Kentucky, sold the Unit 201 condominium at 5275 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Dmitriy Kourtchikov and Olena Ksovreli, of Longboat Key, for $795,000.

Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,155 square feet of living area.

655 Longboat Club Road

Electrical kitchen

Carolyn Ontiveros

$35,900

BEACHPLACE

renovations

THE BANYAN BAY CLUB

#15B renovation 3523 Fair Oaks Lane

Bathroom remodel Joseph Reiser

$35,299

3660 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Windows and doors Donna Clark

$32,500

Sliding door, storm George Thelen

$32,000

#A202 5393 Gulf of Mexico Drive

#112 shutters 3326 Sabal Cove Lane

2295213 Ontario Inc. sold the Unit 404 condominium at 1095 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Trends US Inc. for $775,000. Built in 1981, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,503 square feet of living area.

775 Longboat Club Road

Electrical Sliding door

Wilson family trust

$28,348

Joseph Padorr

$25,579

#1006 replacement 1930 Harbourside Drive #125 Bathroom remodel Robin Lowe

$24,250

3390 Gulf of Mexico Drive

William Bishop

$23,000

2173 Harbourside Drive #503 Pool screen

Pool resurface

Barbara Torrence

$21,000

1281 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Tom Flannigan

HVAC changeout

$20,411

#408 Source: Town of Longboat Key

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Shop local. Shop with us. Celebrate with Family.

MADE IN USA

WE HAVE STOCK! Our Newly Expanded Showroom and Warehouse are stocked with high quality, stylish and comfortable patio furniture.

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28

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

FORECAST

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

High: 89 Low: 76 Chance of rain: 35%

SATURDAY, JULY 17 High: 88 Low: 76 Chance of rain: 41%

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, July 15

6:45a 8:27p

Friday, July 16

6:45a

8:27p

Saturday, July 17

6:46a

8:26p

Sunday, July 18

6:46a

8:26p

Monday, July 19

6:47a

8:25p

Tuesday, July 20

6:47a

8:25p

Wednesday, July 20

6:48a

8:25p

MOON PHASES

SUNDAY, JULY 18 High: 88 Low: 77 Chance of rain: 34%

Aug. 8 New

TIDES

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

29

THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

SUNRISE / SUNSET

FRIDAY, JULY 16

Niki Muller captured this lone swan swimming on Longboat Key.

|

Aug. 15 First

Aug. 22 Full

Highs

Aug. 30 Last

Lows

Thursday, July 15

5:15a 4:16p

10:52a 11:56p

Friday, July 16

5:47a 5:32p

— 12:16p

Saturday, July 17

6:22a 7:08p 12:34a

1:43p

Sunday, July 18

7:01a

9:05p

1:11a

3:07p

Monday, July 19

7:45a

11:07p

1:47a

4:24p

Tuesday, July 20

8:35a

—

2:21a

5:31p

Wednesday, July 21 9:29a —

—

6:30a

MANASOTA FLOORING INC 941.748.4679 | Venice

BLENDS by Rebecca Goldstein; CROSSWORD SEASONING Edited by David Steinberg

©2021 Universal Uclick

ACROSS 1 Snail-mail org.

5 It turns on a watch 9 Sleep under the stars 13 Course standard 16 Seventeen-syllable poem 18 “So You Want to Talk About Race” author Ijeoma 19 Vowel-rich farewell 21 U.S. Army uniform’s pattern 22 Changes of heart, say?

(Theme hint: The word “tarragon” is scrambled within this answer) 25 Slightly 26 People who are old news

27 See 115-Down 28 Crocodile, for one 30 Remote batteries 31 Alley-___ 32 Musical finale 33 Calif. airport with a yoga room 34 Conflict threatening democracy (... cilantro ...)

41 Word after “shoulder” or “razor” 42 Butterfly catchers 43 Spammer 44 Wine and ___ 45 “Yikes!”

46 Mean, median or mode, briefly

349227-1

349227-1

941.355.8437 | Bradenton

941.493.7441 | www.manasotaonline.com

101 Middle-earth monster 102 Strong urge 103 Foreshadow 105 Funny person 107 Sensitive subject 112 Analogous 113 Downloadable show like “Serial” (... turmeric ...)

116 Dryer buildup 117 Smooth-talking 118 Reebok competitor 119 Astronaut Ride 120 “Gemini Man” director Lee 121 Jonathan Van ___ of “Queer Eye” 122 Gender-neutral plural pronoun 123 Place to wade

40 Flood (with) 41 First thing some make in the morning 46 Scrubber near the sink 47 JFK alternative 48 Fly high 50 Ticklish Muppet 51 Bridle strap 53 West African who may live in Accra 54 Sass 55 Nada 57 Visine target 61 “Hyperbole and a Half” or “The Oatmeal” 63 DNA sample collector 64 Caffeinated nut variety 65 Welcome green substance in the shower 66 Graph line DOWN 67 One with a rare hair color 1 “Here comes trouble!”

68 Penultimate Greek letter 2 Gilbert of “The Conners” 69 Road trip essential 3 Oinkers 4 Group such as Reel Big Fish 72 It’s often in blue text (Abbr.)

5 Tuba or trumpet 76 Hail Mary pass, for one 6 “Sad to say ...”

77 Tae___do 7 Habit wearer 78 Journalist Lisa 8 Throw back whiskey, 79 Succulent in some juices perhaps 80 Meg of “You’ve Got Mail” 9 Tranquility 81 Filming location 10 First name?

83 Fire sign?

11 60 secs.

85 Med. show settings 12 Fuel for a Jaguar 13 Shops where Macron buys 89 Periods of work 91 Deem authentic macarons 92 Beagle and basenji 14 Italy’s ___ Coast 93 Bad photo subject?

15 Competitions with steer 94 African antelope wrestling 95 Adopted 17 Discomfort 47 Queues 73 Nosh 96 Evasive maneuver in 20 Secondhand music 49 More certain 74 Shawkat of “Search Party” football purchase 52 Color for a traffic cone (... 75 “I ___ my best” 97 Impolite person 21 Feline oregano ...)

76 Certain cactus fruits (...

98 Wrap served with tzatziki 23 Exam 56 Cone’s ocular counterpart parsley ...)

104 Explosive initials 24 Daddy, in Spanish 58 River through Egypt 82 Foundation 105 Accelerates, with “up” 29 Climate accord city 59 That guy’s 84 Clam’s covering 106 Frozen treats 31 Clips in some credits 60 Soul producer?

86 Boo-boo 107 Go like hotcakes 32 One with many mouths 61 Have on 87 Soapmaking ingredient 108 Anagram of 109-Down to feed?

62 Singer Lovato 88 Actors who exaggerate 34 “Happiest Season” director 109 ___ Alto 63 Outfit for the slopes (...

90 Timeline chunk 110 Nobel Peace Prize city DuVall paprika ...)

91 “Let’s go!”

111 Texter’s “Bye now!”

35 Chardonnay adjective 68 Detective in a 2020 92 Group of hippos 114 Home of Abu Dhabi, briefly 36 Digging reboot (... rosemary ...)

94 Paraphrased line from 115 With 27-Across, women’s 37 Rip 70 Shabby Kermit (... ginger ...) soccer legend 38 Award related to a Tony 71 Guitars, informally 99 Broom go-with 39 Prefix for “binary” 72 PC port type 100 Nice

CELEBRITY CIPHER

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

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“DJR WRUWYR KJU AULYM MU VUFD DU XVWBUNR DJR FXDLIDXUH UT FU VIHZ KUVRH IHM AJXYMBRH IBR, XH TIAD, VRH.”

WIDBXAC FDRKIBD

“NKNFASVN BULNX GTEEUVNXX, VS SVN BULNX ETUV. ZRY ASR OTV’Y GTKN T FTUVZSJ JUYGSRY T BUYYBN FTUV.” UVHCTF ZNFHCTV Puzzle Two Clue:: L equals K

Sarasota

KITCHENS, BATHROOMS, BEDROOMS & MORE

Puzzle One Clues Z equals Y

HARDWOOD

© 2021 NEA, Inc.

SUDOKU

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

©2021 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

07-15-21

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

RED PAGES INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals

DEADLINES: Classifieds - Monday at 2PM

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

Call 941-383-3338.

The Longboat Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Longboat Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

For more Information call Ken at: 941-356-3318

ONE QUARTER mile of the east german Berlin wall. authenticated. Available immediately. Call Jim 941-725-2239

Color background: $ 5 per week Ad border: as low as $3 per week

PLACE YOUR AD: Call: 941-955-4888 Fax: 941-955-4808 Email: redpages@ yourobserver.com Online: yourobserver.com

Boat Slips for Rent/Sale Marina slip for sale. Longboat Key Club.

Moorings Lot C-01. $150k.

62 x 21.

Call Steve: 727-898-9388.

LONGBOAT KEY: Gulffront, 2BR/2BA +den condo, 1455/sq.ft., totally remodeled.

Live right on the beach. Fabulous views of Gulf, sunsets, lush gardens, pool, spa. 941-3831731.

Homes for Rent 3BR/3BA LBK Beautiful large canal front, 2-story home, private deeded beach, office, TV/den, dining room, large kitchen, pool and spa $10,200 Monthly or annual (941) 809-4554

Rentals Wanted WANTED TO rent on an annual basis on the north end of Longboat Key 941-383-1210

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Full time position at Longboat Island Chapel. Send resume to: barbarakoetsier@comcast.net

auto

15% DISCOUNT FOR 4-WEEK RUN

YourObserver.com/RedPages

OR RENT ANNA MARIA FO ISLAND UPDATED 5 STAR CONDO. Available September November (monthly with multimonth discounts) millions $ waterview, first floor, 2br/2b, patio, walk to beach, pool, tennis, smoke free, boat slip available. marketreps@aol.com

Help Wanted

RED PAGES AD RATES First 15 words .................. $ 17.50 per week Each add’l word ....... 50¢

POST YOUR AD WITH EASE

Condos/Apts. for Rent

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

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

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

Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

BEACH HARBOR Club Gorgeous penthouse condo with access to beach/boat/pool/fitness.

3BR/2BA, 2 large terraces, sunrise/sunset views. $5500/mo in season.

248-202-6865 or 440-623-9068.

941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

Adult Care Services

WEEKLY MONTHLY WEEKLY MONTHLY SEASONAL Rates SEASONAL Rates Beachfront, Bayfront and In Beachfront, Bayfront and In Between Between Houses or Condos Houses or Condos Reservations 941-383-5577 Reservations 941-383-5577 wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com Visa/MC Visa/MC 5360 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Suite 5360 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Suite 101 101 Longboat Key, FL 34228 Longboat Key, FL 34228 Rental office 9a.m. - 5p.m.

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

M-F M-F Ask about our special rates!

Ask about our special rates!

Wagner Realty Wagner Realty Since 1939 Since 1939 www.rentalsonlongboat.com www.rentalsonlongboat.com

Epic Home Care Personal Care-Respite Care Alzheimer’s CareLight Cleaning Med AdministrationMeal Prep Shopping, Errands & More Call for a FREE Evaluation!

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

Cleaning CLAUDIA C. Cleaning Services.

Experienced, dependable, and ready to begin!

Residential.

Excellent references.

941-773-6895.

CLEANING BY Brazilian Lady.

Meticulous, reliable, deep cleaning specialist. Residential.

Commercial. New Construction. 941-400-2866.

Painting CARLO DATTILO Painting Licensed & insured. Interior/ Exterior painting including drywall repair and retexturing.

Wallpaper installation & removal, pressure washing.

Residential & commercial, condos. Honest & reliable.

Free estimates. 941-744-1020.

35+ years experience.

Transportation LONGBOAT LIMOUSINE Your local luxury transportation provider since 1994.

New luxury Sedans and SUVs. Fully Licenced and insured.

Auto Transport

Call/Text 941-383-1235

SHIP YOUR car, truck or SUV anywhere in the United States.

Great rates, fast quotes. Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

E-mail: longboatlimousine @yahoo.com

This week’s Crossword answers

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers

Puzzle One Solution: “The people who could do most to improve the situation of so many women and children are, in fact, men.”

Patrick Stewart Puzzle Two Solution: “Everyone likes happiness, no one likes pain. But you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.”

Ingmar Bergman

This week’s Sudoku answers

©2021 Universal Uclick

©2021 NEA, Inc.

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Call 941-955-4888 Or Email ad to: classified@yourobserver.com (Please provide your name and address) Or Online at: www.yourobserver.com Or mail to: The Observer Group 1970 Main St. - 3rd Floor Sarasota, Fl 34236

WANTED: GOOD Reliable used car.

Island resident.

Private seller please.

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You’re only cheating yourself.

Items Under $200

SPECTACULAR CONTEMPORARY Estate Sale 1002 Tara Vista Dr July 16-17-18 Fri Sat Sun 9am to 6pm #s out at 8am Parking is very limited! EXTRA parking at Sarasota Community Church back parking lot 4041 Bahia Vista Dr Sarasota 34232. HUGE estate sale fi fillled with sculptures and art work by renowned Artist David Wilson, mid century modern furniture, collectible coins,gorgeous collection of estate jewelry including 2ct plat round solitaire diamond ring, a vast array of sterling and one of a kind jewelry. Hopi pottery,Navajo rug, art glass, contemporary furniture, bedroom suits, king size beds, electronics, patio furniture,designer clothes, a gorgeous full length Serval cat fur coat, unusual lamps, area rugs, kitchen ware, beautiful glass dining room table and chairs, leather sofas, original Wurlitzer jukebox, massive amount of tools, garage items ie: multiple Miller welders, industrial wrenches, generators,power washers, cutting torches,Grizzly drill press, chain saws, lawn mowers, ladders, pull carts, Skil table saw, BOBCAT m-600, forklift, storage lockers, 2 large full Craftsman’s tool boxes, much much more!

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Beauty

Mike Mailliard ~ Lacey Weaver Allen Hovis ~ Matthew Mailliard Chloe Gardner ~ Julia McIlrevey Simone Paton

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outdoor furniture experts• • www.patiorepairs.net

Hairstylist/Colorist

Over 30 Years Experience

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Power Washing

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

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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021

ROGER SELLS

LUXURY WATERFRONT PROPERTIES

MORE THAN $181 MILLION PENDING AND SOLD IN 2021

3731 INDIAN BEACH ROAD

$6,495,000

1300 CASEY KEY ROAD

$3,495,000

Built in 2006 with the exceptionally high standards of Triangle Construction, designed with energy efficient and sustainable materials, this 5BR, lavish bayfront residence is the epitome of luxury waterfront living. The perfect place to escape, with its enviable central location minutes from downtown, verdant gardens protecting the nearly one-acre of property, and a beautifully elaborate interior that is ready for you to immediately enjoy.

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

www.3731IndianBeach.com

www.1300CaseyKey.com

2202 MCCLELLAN PARKWAY

$1,495,000

1900 GULF DR. #4

$1,075,000

This beautifully updated and well-maintained colonial style home perfectly complements the family-friendly, historic neighborhood of McClellan Park.

Set on an oversized corner parcel spanning nearly half an acre, you will love the recent renovations found throughout the exterior and interior of this 5BR residence that preserve its original architectural details while also creating a fresh and sunny ambiance in every room.

Rarely will you find a 3BR/2BA, direct Gulf front residence steps from the beach! This family-friendly, 11-residence community on the shores of Anna Maria, can also be a steady rental income property.

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CALL TODAY FOR YOUR EXCLUSIVE TOUR (941) 387-1840 443 John Ringling Boulevard, Suite F | Sarasota, FL 34236 595 Bay Isles Road, Suite 250 | Longboat Key, FL 34228 Pettingell.com | www.bestSarasotarealestate.net Twitter.com/RealRoger | Instagram.com/RogerPettingell | Roger@Pettingell.com Owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC

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PLACE YOUR ORDER! SCF.edu/FallMenu | Text 941-304-5443 | Call 941-752-5050 State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate and baccalaureate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota does not discriminate on the basis of sex, pregnancy, race, religion, age, national origin/ethnicity, color, marital status, disability, genetic information or sexual orientation in any of its educational programs, services and activities, including admission and employment. Direct inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies to: Equity Officer, 941-752-5323, 5840 26th St. W., Bradenton, FL 34207.

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