Longboat Observer 7.9.26

LONGBOAT

For the birds.

Observer

PAGE 11

Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

VOLUME 48, NO. 47

YOUR TOWN

How much is your home worth?

The Manatee property appraiser answers this annually for about 236,000 parcels. PAGE 3

Image courtesy of Bob Gault

Bird babies brewing dockside

LET FREEDOM RING

Longboater Bob Gault said boating is off the list of outdoor activities for the time being on his dock.

A family of great blue herons has temporarily taken priority while Mom and Dad mind their new nest.

Gault said he has observed the pair working together to care for their little egg, which needs to incubate for nearly a month. He has seen the male bird attentively bring food and nesting material while she sits on the waterside nest.

In the absence of boat access, Gault has embraced the role of bird watcher.

Dana Kampa

Le Gardenia Bleu’s John and Lita Brannan

Le Gardenia Bleu closes The team at Le Gardenia Bleu, a family-run Longboat Key flower and gift shop that opened shortly before Hurricanes Helene and Milton, announced on July 6 the store has closed.

Co-owner Lita Brannan shared on Facebook multiple factors prompted the closure, including several personal issues the small staff needed to prioritize.

Lita and John Brannan ran the shop with Jon Mongeau, a florist with nearly 40 years of experience.

Community members recognized the owners’ resilience at the 2025 Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce awards.

The team won the “Emerging Business of the Year” commendation.

Lita wrote they made this decision with a heavy heart and are grateful to the Longboat Key community for its support.

“Thank you for being a part of our journey,” she wrote.

“We will cherish the memories we’ve made together.”

Dana Kampa

Lucy Clark and Carlin and Ellie Mackintosh, granddaughters of Longboat Key artist May Lou Johnson, help release the first of 250 butterflies at Freedom Fest. The Fourth of July festivities also included a parade, canine costume contest, rededication of Bicentennial Park and family activities.

Longboat Key hosts star-spangled lineup for Freedom Fest. SEE PAGE 15

A+E

A feather banner near the sidewalk on Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Change in the wind?

$0.10

‘Paws’ and enjoy life. PAGE 12

Feather flag banners are considered flags rather than banners or signs, but that might not be the case forever. SEE PAGE 4

S.T. Cardinal

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

WEEK OF JULY 9, 2026

Downtown Sarasota parking changes now in effect

“What we want to try to avoid is disincentivizing or making things difficult for those that are electing to elevate their homes.”

Downtown parkers beware: Changes made to the city’s parking policy are in effect.

Paid and timed parking is now being enforced from 8 a.m. to midnight for marked, on‑street parking spaces and 24 hours a day in city-owned parking garages, Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, enforcement for both on‑street and garage parking will begin at 1 p.m.

All parking citation fines have increased by $5.

These adjustments were implemented by the City Commission in an effort to fully fund the Parking Division and support necessary improvements to parking infrastructure throughout the city, such as elevator replacement and other maintenance matters.

The changes do not affect the parking rate, which remains the same. The first 10 minutes are free providing a parking session is initiated via the Park Mobile app or at a street-side parking kiosk.

Visit SarasotaFL.gov/Parking for detailed information on parking hours, rates and locations.

Planning, Zoning and Building Director Allen Parsons Read more on page 6

BY THE NUMBERS 236,000

The number of parcels in Manatee County the property appraiser is tasked with valuing annually PAGE 3

18 MONTHS

How long until a judge hears the case the town brought against the St. Regis regarding a stainless steel arch PAGE 5

250

Butterflies released at the rededication of Bicentennial Park to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence PAGE 15

CALENDAR

n Manasota League of

Cities Meeting — 9:30 a.m., July 9, 501 Bay Isles Road n Let’s Talk Longboat — 3 p.m., July 14, 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive n Sandbag filling event — 8:30 a.m., Aug. 6, 100 Broadway St.

Eric Garwood

Sarasota’s rich history and arts culture were some of the reasons CNN recently chose it as the top city to visit in the United States, beating communities including Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Greenville, South Carolina.

Sarasota tops CNN list of cities to visit

A

s the editors of CNN Travel put it themselves, looking “beyond some of American tourism’s heaviest hitters,” Sarasota tops the list of the 10 “Best Towns to Visit.”

“I think what can surprise you is when you come down here, that there is absolutely incredible artistic excellence,” said Brian Hersh, CEO of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, in the CNN story about Sarasota.

“Some things that you can see here, you would maybe not see anywhere else, or only see in a

major metropolitan area.”

CNN’s 2026 list of the 10 “Best Towns to Visit” purposely “looks beyond some of American tourism’s heaviest hitters to find less-discovered communities or places whose unexpected histories and curiosities have been obscured by splashier attractions.”

Also on the list, occupying the other nine positions below Sarasota, from bottom to runner-up: Roanoke, Virginia; Lawrence, Kansas; Iowa City, Iowa; Juneau, Alaska; Burlington, Vermont; Fort Collins, Colorado; Bethlehem,

Pennsylvania; Greenville, South Carolina and New Haven, Connecticut (runner-up).

More than just a piece on the city’s deep connection to the arts, there’s ample references to the Amish and Mennonite community of Pinecraft, the barrier islands and their beaches, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Mote SEA and even some of Longboat Key’s top spots such as the St. Regis Resort and the Dry Dock Waterfront Grill.

Registration deadline for August primaries is July 20 Months before the November general election, voters choose the candidates who will appear on those ballots in August.

The primary election will be held Aug. 18, and those who are not yet registered or wish to change their party affiliation must do so by Monday, July 20.

Registration can be done online at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov, in person at a supervisor of elections office (2001 Adams Lane for Sarasota County residents or 600 301 Blvd.

W., Suite 108 for Manatee County residents) or by mail by filling out and mailing a voter registration form, which can be downloaded and printed at VoteManatee.gov or SarasotaVotes.gov.

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TABS

W HAT ’S HAPPENING

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

Never-ending workload for Manatee County property appraiser How does Manatee County come up with a value for your property each year?

It’s complicated.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

E

very year, each of Manatee County’s approximately 236,000 real estate parcels

receives a valuation. Sometimes it goes up. Sometimes it goes down.

Most importantly, this appraisal of valuation is the basis of that property owner’s tax bill, which makes it an essential process for the county.

So just how does Charles Hackney, Manatee County’s elected property appraiser since 1992, get that work completed each and every year?

Hackney said conducting that many appraisals is a constant, yearround process that takes a team effort by all 65 staff members in his office.

The process is similar to a real estate appraisal in that it’s marketdriven. But because of the volume of parcels, the Property Appraiser’s Office also relies heavily on modeling and statistics.

Of the 65 staff members, only 12 appraisers are in the field. A dozen people simply can’t visit 236,000 parcels in a year, so the Property Appraiser’s Office uses aerial photos to survey the parcels to check for improvements or changes.

The cost of filming everything from a plane is shared by both the Property Appraiser’s Office and other Manatee County departments because those aerial photos have several uses within the county.

The photos must be completed before Jan. 1 each year because that is considered the assessment date.

The images are captured by manned planes that have high-resolution cameras affixed to the wings.

Manatee County hires the company Eagleview to do the work, and its planes typically fly at altitudes between 5,000 and 10,000 feet. The cameras can capture orthogonal (straight down) or oblique (sideangled) views.

By state statute, every parcel also has to be physically inspected at least once every five years. However, Florida Statute Section 193.023 reads, “Where geographically suitable, and at the discretion of the property appraiser, the property appraiser may use image technology in lieu of physical inspection to ensure that the tax roll meets all the requirements of law.”

Permits often can lead to an inspection within that timeframe.

For example, perhaps a pool or a porch was added, which can then be verified with an aerial photo.

Tracy West, director of appraisal services, said the staff works through “thousands and thousands” of permits each year. Currently, there are about 17,000 active permits.

However, if nothing has changed in five years, those properties are grouped together so appraisers can look at the aerial photos to see if anything was added or deleted without a permit.

West said sales that seem “outside the norm for what properties in that

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

neighborhood are selling for” would also cause an inspection. Those inspections can be done by using the aerial photographs or by an inperson visit.

When a county appraiser visits a property, he or she always knocks on the door first to give the owner a business card and explain the visit.

For the most part, the appraisers are only looking at the outside of the home or building.

“If only normal things are happening with the property — you’ve added something on or you’ve taken something off — we’re not coming inside for that,” West said. “When people are telling us, ‘I think my property is overvalued because it’s not in good condition,’ we will occasionally make an appointment with a homeowner to inspect the inside of a house to ascertain the condition of the house.”

Appraisers also visit properties that have recently been issued certificates of occupancy. The appraisers verify that what was built matches the previously submitted plans.

In 2025, nearly 6,000 new homes were added to the tax roll in Manatee County.

2025 BY THE NUMBERS These numbers were compiled from a press release issued by Manatee County Tax Collector Ken Burton Jr. Nov. 3, 2025, and the 2025 Ad Valorem Assessment Rolls Exemption Breakdown on the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s website.

■ 210,753 tax bills and informational notices mailed ■ 6,000 third quarter installment bills mailed ■ $84,399,192,558 tax assessment roll ■ $1,346,551,937.85 owed taxes ■ 110,638 $25,000 homestead exemptions filed ■ $2,717,382,287 value of $25,000 homestead exemptions ■ 105,602 additional $25,000 homestead exemptions filed ■ $2,657,643,727 value of additional $25,000 homestead exemptions

‘IT’S NOT PARTY TALK.’

Because so few inspections are done in-person, eight of the 65 staff members are in the IT department.

“One of them does nothing but GIS, which is geographical mapping,” said Scott Tussing, director of communications and community relations. “They’re also highly involved in the tax roll because they transmit to the Department of Revenue.”

The tax roll is the registry of all properties subject to property taxes in Manatee County. It includes the properties’ assessed values and the amount of taxes owed.

The Department of Revenue is the oversight organization for the Property Appraiser’s Office. The Department of Revenue audits the tax roll every year.

“It’s studied for tests of fairness, and there are certain ratios that we have to maintain for our tax roll to pass,” West said. “We’re constrained by the Florida statutes to maintain a certain relationship between our values and what the market is doing.

The Manatee County Property Appraiser is located at 915 Fourth Ave. W. in downtown Bradenton.

That’s why those values go up when the market goes up, and they go down when the market goes down, as well.”

Specific ratios aren’t published.

Trends of what the market is doing over 12 months will influence the ratios whether the market is trending upward or downward. Time adjustment factors are applied to the sales depending on when they happened throughout the year.

The Department of Revenue studies all the sales within a year and issues those factors to the Property Appraiser’s Office.

“After COVID, we thought everything was going to tank, and it took off like crazy,” West said.

In general, West noted that the value is going to be lower than the sales price.

Tussing said that most people are used to fee appraisals that are performed on an individual basis, but the Property Appraiser’s Office uses mass appraisals, which involves statistics that analyze sales and comparisons of an entire neighborhood.

The office uses a Computer-aided Mass Appraisal System. A base model is built into the system, so when all the components of a new home are inputted, the system will factor up or down based on the quality and different materials that were used.

The statistics include coefficient dispersion, which is past standard deviation. Appraisers are also doing vertical and horizontal integration onto how different price points are behaving.

West noted, “It’s not party talk.”

It’s also not “throwing darts at a dartboard.” If a buyer pays too low or high of a price, the value will come out somewhere in the middle because of the statistics. The highest and lowest sales are thrown out.

Additionally, each category of residential, commercial and industrial are all treated differently. Within residential, condos and mobile homes

are different statistical groups, as well. The DOR is reviewing every one for compliance to be sure nothing is valued haphazardly.

Although timing can sometimes make the process appear haphazard.

“Because of that Jan. 1 assessment date, we can’t look forward and predict what the markets are going to do,” West said. “We look back at the prior year and use that as the basis for our adjustments. Going up, it’s great because we’re always a year behind what the market’s doing. But going down, people might feel we’re not going down fast enough, but we’re going down as fast as we’re allowed by statute (which dictates the ratios between values and sales).”

West encourages residents to call the office with questions, especially if they’re contemplating changes to the property. Staff members can let owners know ahead of time how those changes will affect their tax bill.

‘THIS IS NOT A BILL.’

All property owners have seen the stamp. “This is not a bill” is typed in bold lettering across the top of Truth in Millage notices.

TRIM notices provide notice of the proposed taxes on a property and are mailed during the second week in August. Property owners have 25 days to file a petition with the Value Adjustment Board with objections.

“The homeowner needs to be studying that document,” Tussing said.

The document is not a bill. It’s noted as such because people used to send checks to the tax collector before the office could collect the tax, then the tax collector would have to return the checks.

The new problem is that people tend to toss those notices aside once they see it’s not a bill.

August should be the busiest time of the year after TRIM notices are sent out, but Tussing said that’s the second busiest time of year.

The first busiest time of year is 10 days after the bills are sent around Nov. 1, when it’s too late for anything discretionary to be adjusted. Only errors can be fixed at that point.

If an owner feels their property value went up or down too much, August is the time to object.

There were about 1,500 petitions in 2025. Of those 1,500, about 800 were residential petitions.

But Hackney noted that it’s typically not “Fred and Ethel” filing an appeal, it’s corporations that own hundreds of houses and hire professionals to file the appeals to save tax money. Those professionals work on commission.

“Quite frankly, we win most of the time,” Hackney said. “If there’s something wrong, we’re going to fix it before it goes across the street to the Value Adjustment Board. Most of the time, the special magistrate will rule that we followed the procedures, did what we were supposed to do and that our assessment is reasonable, and therefore they will uphold it. Appraising is an estimate based on facts. You do certain things with those facts, but ultimately what you come up with is an estimate of market value.”

Chris Edginton and Eric Graziano are Certified Florida Evaluators, a designation awarded by the Florida Department of Revenue for government employees.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

The Paradise Center uses a feather flag banner in January to show that the organization is offering classes at Longboat Island Chapel.

DEFINITIONS IN CODE

FLAG OR SIGN?

S.T. Cardinal

The definition of a flag may be refined in town code to exclude feather banners.

S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER

I

f it blows in the wind, can it still be considered a sign?

As Longboat Key Town Code is currently written, no, according to Planning, Zoning and Building Director Allen Parsons. Those vertical banners anchored into the ground by a metal pole commonly known as feather flag banners or angled flag banners are not prohibited by the town’s sign code. They are treated as

of a Supreme Court ruling. He was referring to Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015), which had a 9-0 ruling that stated restrictions on signs could not be content-based.

Changes may be on the horizon that could change whether feather banners are allowed, regardless of the content displayed on them.

“The definition (of a flag) is one that I think wasn’t necessarily intended for these banner or flag types. I think it was intended to allow for a flag that most people think of that is attached to a flag pole,” Parsons said. “Staff is going to be proposing an amendment. We haven’t drafted that yet, so I don’t have specific wording, but I think the intent would be to have the flag definition be such that it matches more of what you think of when you think flag.”

flags by code enforcement, and town code allows for one flag per premises as long as it is not in the right of way.

At a recent informal community meeting, resident Cyndi Seamon brought up the topic of the feather flags asking if prohibiting them could be considered by the town.

“They seem to be popping up more, and I’m assuming none of us really like them, hopefully,” Seamon said.

“We like our signs the way they’re supposed to be and very restrictive.

Can we revisit that at some point in time? I think some there’s other cities who have made headway saying they are not flags, they’re actually banners.”

Parsons, who was at the meeting, told attendees that feather banners fit the definition of a flag in town code and that what is printed on a flag cannot be regulated because

One of the beginning sections of the town’s sign code chapter defines various terms that are found in subsequent sections.

Flag, banner and sign are a few of the dozens of defined terms. n Flag: A piece of cloth or similar material, typically oblong or square, attachable by one edge to a pole or rope. n Banner: A sign on a lightweight material either enclosed or not enclosed in a rigid frame and secured or mounted to allow motion caused by the atmosphere. n Sign: A name, identification, description, display, or illustration, which is affixed to, painted, or represented directly or indirectly upon a building, or other outdoor surface which directs attention to or is designed or intended to direct attention to the sign face or to an object, product, place, activity, person, institution, organization or business. Signs located completely within an enclosed building or not exposed to view from a public beach, public beach and bay accesses, public waterway or street shall not be considered a sign. Each display surface of a sign or sign face shall be considered to be a sign.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

5

ST. REGIS REBUTTAL Lawyers for St. Regis’ developer recently filed their response to the town’s arched sign suit.

S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER

N

ow that a suit was filed by the town of Longboat Key against the developers of the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, the resort owner’s lawyers responded to the town’s claims, and a court date was set.

Lawyers Morgan Bentley and Brian Goodrich, who have been retained by Chuck Whittall and Unicorp Developments Inc. on behalf of SR LBK and SR LBK II LLC, filed an answer to the town’s lawsuit over a metal arch the town claims violates its sign code.

The answer, signed by Goodrich, denies a majority of the 62 claims made by the town and explains six “affirmative defenses” that state the metal arched sign placed on a groin behind the resort was legally installed and should not be removed.

The first affirmative defense listed in the answer claims the town does not have jurisdiction over the arch as it is outside of the town’s boundaries. It goes on to claim that even if the arch were within the town’s boundaries, the town “has not enacted regulation to implement its jurisdiction over the arch and sign.”

The defendant’s filed answer includes a list from No. 1 to No. 62 where each claim made by the town in its suit is responded to. Many of the responses are identical and simply say “denied” or “admitted.”

A field permit is mentioned in nine of those responses, referring to a permit issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection the state agency issued “to install post, rope and sign” on the groin. The answer cites state statute,

which says a permit is required from FDEP for “any coastal construction or reconstruction or change of existing structures,” including groins or jetties, “upon state sovereignty lands below the mean high-water line of and tidal water of the state.”

St. Regis’ attorneys also mention the town’s code of ordinances do not mention the words jetties or groins and there is no ordinance that states a permit is required for the construction on or change to existing structures on groins.

The answer to the suit also argues that where the arch is constructed is not included in a zoning lot and is not on a parcel of land. The third passage in Longboat Key’s sign code is also cited, which states “A sign placed on land or on a building for the purpose of identification, protection or directing persons to a use conducted therein shall be deemed to be an integral but accessory and subordinate part of the principal use of land or building.” It also claims anything in town code 156.07 is inapplicable because the scope defined in the code is for permanent signs in a list of zoning districts.

“Since the Gulf does not lie within a Zoning District, the criteria of section 156.07 does not apply to the groin, arch or sign,” the answer to the suit reads.

The response by St. Regis’ lawyers concludes by citing case law (Rinker Materials Corporation v. City of North Miami) where the court’s decision stated that “words used in a zoning ordinance should be given their broadest meaning when there is no definition or clear intent to the contrary and the ordinance should be interpreted in favor of the property owner.”

A court date for the nonjury trial is set for Jan. 14, 2028, according to the Sarasota County Clerk of Court website.

S.T. Cardinal

The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort installed a stainless steel arch on a private groin, leading to a dispute with the town of Longboat Key, with leaders claiming it violates the town’s sign code.

THE ROAD TO 1/14/2028

A court date of Jan. 14, 2028, was set for the town of Longboat Key v. S R LBK LLC, which will decide whether the town can order the removal of an arched sign the resort placed on a groin extending into the Gulf. The disagreement started when the arch was installed.

December 2022: Town building permit is issued for work on the makeshift groin.

April 2023: Work is completed on the groin February 2024: FDEP issues a field permit for the installation of “post, rope and sign” on the groin.

March 2024: Town issues permit. Town alleges permit was for posts and rope. St. Regis denies that the permit was only for the handrails.

July 2024: Posts and rope handrails installed on groin.

August 2024: St. Regis Longboat Key Resort holds grand opening.

August 2025: Stainless steel arch is installed on groin.

Town asks resort to remove sign. Discussions begin regarding potential amend-

ments to sign code to allow the sign, which remained with a faux flora arrangement covering the letters on top of the arch.

October 2025: Attorney Brenda Patten writes a letter to the Longboat Key Town Commission requesting a sign code amendment be prepared by town staff.

November 2025: Town Commission votes against instructing staff to craft a sign code amendment that would allow the arch.

December 2025: After public comment from St. Regis developer Chuck Whittall, the Town Commission reverses its November decision and instructs staff to draft a sign code amendment.

March 2026: The Longboat

Key Planning and Zoning Board votes against two sign code amendments. The no vote means the amendments move on to the Town Commission with a negative recommendation.

May 2026: After a letter from Patten requesting a continuance for the ordinances, they are removed from the commission agenda and a 5 p.m., Friday, May 8 deadline is set for the removal of the arch. The town later files suit against the parent companies of St. Regis, S R LBK LLC and S R LBK LLC II. June 2026: St. Regis lawyers respond to the suit.

July 2026: A court date is set by the Sarasota County Clerk of Court.

Property Stewardship for Longboat Key, Bird key & Lido Key.

LONGBOAT KEY | BIRD KEY | LIDO KEY

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

YOU CAN GIVETH, BUT NOT TAKETH

The 1,475-squarefoot Udermann house has been partially raised using about 50 hydraulic jacks in The Village in Longboat Key. The home currently sits 4.5 feet up and will eventually be raised to 12 feet.

Town Attorney Maggie Mooney was sure to emphasize a point when the Town Commission discussed whether to change the zoning code to encourage residents to raise their houses: Florida Senate Bill 180 prohibits many of the state’s municipalities from enacting more “restrictive or burdensome” development regulations.

“While this is not something more restrictive or burdensome, this is going in the other direction, which is we’re giving more rights. I just want you all to appreciate that once you give it, you may not be able to take it back,” Mooney said. “So whatever you develop has to be really thought through very carefully. These are important considerations because the way the Legislature is headed, once we giveth, we may not be able to ever taketh away.”

S.T. Cardinal

A TOPIC

RAISED Longboat Planning and Zoning will soon discuss how to make home elevation easier in the town.

S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER

A

s Longboat Key residents continue to raise their homes while rebuilding from the 2024 hurricanes, the town has begun to look at ways to make the process more straightforward.

“We know that water levels are continuing to be a concern, and we want to see more folks elevating,” Town Manager Howard Tipton said.

“But we have certain properties, especially the smaller ones, that create some challenges when it comes to elevation.”

Elevating homes makes the island more resilient to storms, and the town outlines in its Comprehensive Plan (HOU Policy 1.3.2) that it encourages “the retrofitting of

existing residential structures for storm resistance.” Houses that have been built in the last 20 years under FEMA Flood Elevation guidelines fared much better than older homes in the 2024 hurricane season, Planning, Zoning and Building Director Allen Parsons said.

At a Town Commission workshop on June 22, Parsons shared there have been 30 applications to put existing houses on stilts.

Doing so, however, comes with its permitting challenges. The main roadblocks residents have faced involve complying with setback requirements, lot/building coverage, daylight plane, pool grading and utility elevation.

“Inadvertently, what we want to try to avoid is disincentivizing or making things difficult for those that are electing to elevate their homes,” Parsons said. “It’s an expensive proposition to do that.”

Elevating home costs often start in the six figures. The process includes disconnecting the house from electric, water, sewer and gas lines. The house is then supported by steel beams placed under the foundation and raised slowly before permanent

supports, or pilings, are built. Then, stairs or a ramp must be built to access the house.

That step has caused some hiccups for those on smaller lot sizes or on lots that have structures that are grandfathered in.

“As structures get elevated, stairs that would be providing access to what was on the ground before, those are on the setback. Our zoning code calls anything that’s constructed on a property above 6 inches in height a structure. So, a deck can become a structure,” Parsons said. “When you add a deck on the front or back of a house, that would be considered a part of the structure. That starts to add to this lot coverage maximum which, in some cases, may already be exceeded (if the house is grandfathered in).”

Parsons said it would be easier on town staff and for residents if there was “either an exemption for or authority for some relief” to allow for those decks that provide access to raised entry points.

The town also has “daylight plane” requirements, which ensure sunlight has a path to reach neighboring properties. A raised property could cast a

shadow on a neighboring, unraised home, which could make the newly raised home not meet the daylight plane requirement.

“In the case that someone is just lifting the existing structure to be above the FEMA flood elevation requirement, what likely would make more sense is just to exempt that kind of structure that’s just being lifted up, not being added onto,” Parsons said.

Air conditioners and utility meters also must be elevated when a house is raised. Parsons said exempting the structures equipment is placed on could help those elevating stay within lot coverage and setback requirements.

Right now, the procedure for a homeowner to raise their house while not meeting setback, lot coverage or other zoning regulations is to go through a Zoning Board of Adjustment variance. The ZBA must make its decision based on hardship or unique circumstances. Parsons said it may be worth looking into whether authority can be given to staff to provide exceptions rather than going through the ZBA process.

Parsons recommended the topic be raised at a Planning and Zoning Board meeting, and the Town Commission agreed.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

7

HOPE MEETS

HEALING Our experts know: you can’t have one without the other.

At our Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, these same experts are redefining modern oncology through state-of-the-art facilities engineered — from the ground up — to unite the incredible potential of the latest medical technology with the restorative power of patient-centered care.

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Together, we’re creating a world-class destination for life-changing healthcare — right here in Sarasota.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

OPINION / OUR VIEW

LONGBOAT

Lots of loopholes in Florida’s laws on fines With a potential hit to general fund revenue coming, municipalities may have more incentive to supplement their income from fines.

“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.”

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“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 President and Publisher / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com Executive Editor and COO / Kat Wingert, KWingert@YourObserver.com

ADRIAN MOORE AND VITTORIO NASTASI

L

ocal governments in Florida and across the country collect approximately $8 billion in law enforcement fines and forfeitures annually.

In most cases, these revenues account for a vanishingly small portion of government budgets — just 0.38% on average.

However, some governments have Vittorio Nastasi come to rely on police and the court system to fund basic operations, creating perverse incentives that divert resources away from legitimate public safety priorities.

A new Reason Foundation report examines financial statements from over 10,000 cities and counties for the most comprehensive picture of “taxation by citation” to date.

The report measures fiscal reliance as the ratio of fines and forfeitures to general revenue. General revenue captures the money a government raises to fund its core operations at its own discretion, mainly taxes and unrestricted transfers. It leaves out money tied to self-sustaining operations like water and sewer utilities, which pay for their own services and don’t underwrite general government. Measuring fines against total revenue would let a city hide heavy reliance on enforcement behind a large utility fund.

This may soon become a much more important issue in Florida, because in November voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would raise the state’s homestead exemption to $250,000 and is projected to cut nonschool local government revenue by $11.86 billion on a recurring basis.

Research cited in our report suggests local governments often turn to fines and forfeitures revenue to offset losses elsewhere. If the amendment passes, some Florida cities may find ticket revenue an attractive backfill.

Already in Florida, we identified seven cities that collected 10 cents or more in fines for every $1 of general revenue in FY 2023: Lawtey ($0.91), Port Richey ($0.30), Belle Isle ($0.13), Opa-Locka ($0.12), West Miami ($0.12), Orange Park ($0.12), and Green Cove Springs ($0.10).

In per-capita terms, Port Richey leads the pack at $616 per resident.

Much of that revenue likely came from red light cameras.

Carlin Gillen

A recent report from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles showed that red light cameras in Port Richey generated $1,196,914.42 in revenue from 11,737 citations between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. Port Richey retained $525,923.42, while the remaining $633,046.00 went to the state Department of Revenue.

Notably, the FLHSMV report asked local governments about what factors are used to determine the success or failure of red light cameras within their jurisdictions.

Port Richey answered the number of crashes, pedestrian safety and revenue. Credit for honesty?

Port Richey has been quite explicit about the role red light cameras have played in the city’s budgeting.

Fines and forfeitures revenue in Port Richey surged from $646,416 to $1,183,927 between FY 2015 and FY 2016. The city’s FY 2016 financial report noted that “(t) hrough initiatives such as water and sewer utility rate increases, the reinstatement of the electric utility tax … and the ability to utilize red light cameras, the city has been able to considerably improve upon its financial position.”

That year, the city’s governmental funds increased 18.28%, which the city primarily attributed to $602,565 from red light cameras.

State lawmakers have tried to prevent police from chasing ticket revenue by banning traffic citation quotas since 1992, but reform efforts to date have left major gaps.

The state’s original quota ban only applied to state agencies. County sheriff’s offices and municipal police departments, where most of the traffic enforcement happens, were left out entirely.

That gap surfaced in dramatic fashion when Waldo was found to be generating nearly half its general revenue from traffic citations.

When the story broke in 2014, five Waldo officers alleged their chief and city manager had imposed a quota of one ticket per hour per shift. The department was disbanded within weeks.

The Legislature responded to the scandal with the 2015 “Waldo Bill,” which extended the quota ban to sheriffs and municipal police. But the ban still has no mechanism for officers to report violations and no requirement the state investigate them. Today, an officer who suspects a quota is being enforced has nowhere obvious to go.

Reforms adopted by Ohio in 2025 offer a better model. Ohio now requires the attorney general to maintain a public online form for officers to report quota viola-

tions, anonymously, and obligates the state to investigate every report within a year and order any offending agency to cease and desist.

Even a well-enforced quota ban, though, only reaches citations written by officers. A camera can’t be pressured to hit a quota, so a quota ban has no bearing on red light camera enforcement. As the example of Port Richey shows, that’s true even when a city, by its own admission, is counting on citation revenue to balance its budget. Closing that gap requires reforms aimed at the underlying fiscal incentives rather than officer behavior.

A smaller group of states has tried to do exactly that. Alabama, Maryland, Missouri, Texas and Utah placed explicit caps on the share of revenues local governments may collect from either speeding tickets or fines and forfeitures more broadly, diverting any revenue above the cap to purposes beyond the collecting government’s control.

Because a cap applies to the revenue regardless of its source, it would catch a city leaning on cameras just as readily as one leaning on officers. But the narrow scope of many existing caps has still enabled evasion. Alabama’s 10% cap, for instance, applies only to traffic citations, leaving cities free to generate unlimited revenue from other fines. A cap applying to all revenues flowing from police and courts would be better.

Florida has another law that looks similar on paper but is effectively toothless. Any jurisdiction collecting more than 33% of its law enforcement funding from traffic fines must file a report with the Legislative Auditing Committee.

However, Florida’s threshold triggers nothing but paperwork.

The statute doesn’t require the committee to publish which jurisdictions filed, doesn’t authorize any investigation and doesn’t specify consequences for a jurisdiction that simply doesn’t report.

A handful of Florida cities are deriving a meaningful share of their budgets from citations even though the state has laws on the books that are supposed to prevent this kind of behavior. And that’s before accounting for the property tax pressure that may be headed their way this fall. Adopting a stronger ban on quotas based on Ohio’s model and a cap on fine revenue now, before that pressure arrives, would be far better than reacting to it after the fact.

Adrian Moore is vice president of Reason Foundation and lives in Sarasota. Vittorio Nastasi is the director of criminal justice policy.

The city of Sarasota uses school zone speed cameras and red light cameras.

During Fiscal Year 2025, red light cameras generated $3.28 million in revenue and school zone citations generated $1.14 million.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

9

Resilient Shore project plans to navigate city approval waters Plans for a flood-resilient new Shore restaurant, retail, cafe and boutique project have been submitted, and could be the first building on St. Armands Circle incorporating pricey flood-proof glass.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

I

f the city approval process goes as hoped, St. Armands Circle may be re-Shore-d by early 2028.

The buildings at 24 and 28 N. Boulevard of the Presidents, closed since the back-to-back flooding events of the 2024 hurricane season, have been gutted, and the infrastructure is being fortified to bring Shore restaurant and boutique back to the Circle.

Following the two rounds of flooding from the one-two punch of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, owner Tom Leonard shut down operations and later leased the building at 465 John Ringling Blvd. to Tommy Bahama, which moved its restaurant less than a mile east from its also flooded — and closer to the Gulf — location at 300 John Ringling Blvd. on the opposite end of the commercial district.

Shore also operates a restaurant and retail boutique at 800 Broadway St. on the north end of Longboat Key. Leonard plans to go beyond a restaurant and retail store at the new St. Armands location. He plans to include a cafe and, on a new third floor, residential space designed to potentially serve as a boutique hotel if a future zoning code change permits such use in the city’s Commercial Tourist district.

The four business quadrants of St. Armands Circle make up the only CT zone district in the city. The building, which includes planned expansion to cover several parking spaces in the alley between it and the city parking deck, totals approximately 17,000 square feet of mixed-use space.

While Shore’s return to St. Armands will likely be welcomed by many, the third floor — which is permitted in CT providing a build-

ing height cap of 35 feet — will have its detractors. St. Armands residents and merchants have long opposed any type of hotel development on the Key, which was a common theme during recent St. Armands visioning workshops facilitated by the city.

“It’s no hidden secret that I would love to do a boutique hotel, but it’s not approved, so the only thing we can build right now is a residential unit,” Leonard said. “It’s a process we have to go through to build, and maybe I’ll live up there someday the way things are going.”

For now, the top floor is planned to be built as a shell. A site plan shows a total of 4,580 square feet of residential space surrounding a central pool.

Four spaces are labeled as suites.

There is also an area labeled for a gym in the southwest corner.

“We’ll probably open the retail and the cafe, and then the restaurant shortly after,” Leonard said.

“We’ll run the elevator, we’ll run the utilities, we’ll run everything you may need essentially, and put the walls up and any doors and windows to dry it in, but I’m not so sure that we’ll finish (the third floor). It really just depends on timing and budget.”

The project is scheduled to make its initial appearance before the city’s Development Review Committee on Wednesday, July 15.

‘A FEAT OF ENGINEERING’

Conceptual renderings of the new Shore show it as midcentury modern architecture, not unlike Leonard’s now-leased building at the opposite end of the northeast quadrant of the Circle.

Leonard said he sees the design as a complement to the eclectic collection of older structures in the retail and commercial district.

“In a mixed-use shopping cen-

Courtesy image

A rendering of the planned Shore restaurant, boutique, cafe and residential space as viewed from Boulevard of the Presidents on St. Armands Circle.

Elizabeth King

The building at the corner of Boulevard of the Presidents and Madison Drive at St. Armands Circle has been gutted and infrastructure is being built to support plans for the new Shore restaurant, retail and residential project.

ter, which I really think that’s what St. Armand should be, a variation of architecture is kind of cool,” he said.

“I like to see buildings have some different façades and some different character. I would like to see St. Armands be more flood-resilient.

I would like to see the federal government, the state government and our county and city to be more supportive and try to incentivize people,

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whether it be through some kind of a tax incentive, to flood-proof buildings. I don’t ever want to go through what I went through a couple years ago again, not only for myself, but to watch fellow merchants lose everything was just sickening.”

To avoid the FEMA 50% rule, which prohibits renovation of floodprone properties whose cost exceeds 50% of the value of the structure

without elevating it above flood level, the partnership of Kauffman Shore Properties LLC is installing flood-proof glass on the ground floor, effectively making it an insideout aquarium.

“It’s a significant cost,” Leonard said of the glass, which comes at a price of $5,000 per linear foot times 10 feet in height. “It’s going to take the whole building to support the price to do all this.”

Hence the top floor condo — or potentially future hotel rooms, to help pay for the building. Leonard offered no specifics about the cost, only that it will be “in the millions.”

“It’s a feat of engineering,” he said of the infrastructure to support the flood-proof glass. “We’re going have a 20-inch slab going through the whole building. If we, heaven forbid, ever do get a storm, which I hope we don’t, and we stay dry, the federal government isn’t in there writing checks.”

Kauffman Shore Properties is a partnership between Leonard and the commercial property developer and owner Kauffman family of Sarasota, the team including Mark Kauffman and his daughter, Mindy Kauffman.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

COPS CORNER

SATURDAY, JUNE 27

TENDER BOAT TAKING ON WATER 4:01 p.m., Halyard Lane Lost/found property: An out-of-place boat was discovered and reported to Longboat police by a concerned neighbor. When police arrived, the 15-foot tender boat was seen with a line connecting the bow to the seawall of a house under construction. One of the sponsons on the boat was partially deflated, the police report described, and the deck had taken on about 3-4 inches of water. The officer boarded the boat and found registration documents that showed the owner’s address in Ocala. A search through police databases of the owner’s name showed an address on Halyard Lane, but a visit by the officer to the house was unsuccessful as nobody was home.

The officer then tried a phone number and was able to contact the owner, who said they had left just that morning and the boat must have gotten free from its slip. The owner said she would retrieve the boat, and the officer closed the case.

SUNDAY, JUNE 28

PARKING DAMAGE 9:29 a.m., 5550 Gulf of Mexico Drive Disabled vehicle: A car parked perpendicular to a handicap space at Durante Park grabbed the attention of a police officer on patrol. The officer saw four people around the sedan, two were occupants and two passers-by, when they first approached. The officer spoke to the driver who said that, when she backed out of the parking space, a plastic trim piece under the vehicle caught on the concrete parking spot and was ripped off. The plastic trim was retrieved, the vehicle tested and the case closed.

TUESDAY, JUNE 30

CAN’T GET A WINK 9:10 p.m., Cedars Court

Noise disturbance: A woman at a local resort called the police on a group of noisy kids on a recent Tuesday night. She told an officer there was a group of kids being loud at the resort’s pool and she could not sleep because of the ruckus. The officer arrived at the scene and spoke with a group of three boys. The officer wrote in the report the juveniles were not being loud, but did admit to yelling earlier in the night. The kids told the officer they lived across the street and their parents were aware they were at the pool. The officer explained the town’s noise ordinance, the kids apologized and left, and the case was closed.

YourObserver.com

Strings in summer DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER

T

hose seeking musical inspiration this summer should plan a visit to Temple Beth Israel, where classically trained instrumentalists will take listeners on a musical journey from the early 18th century to current times.

Strings Con Brio launched in 2015 and has evolved into a conducted ensemble operating under the leadership of conductor and Artistic Director Kenneth Bowermeister and Executive Director Monica Sirocchi.

The one-off community concert is July 16 and is set to a wide variety of tunes, including one made famous in the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Other featured works will include pieces by Georg Philipp Telemann, Johann Sebastian Bach and Gustav Mahler.

Vocalist Michael Bodnyk, St. Armands Key Lutheran Church minister of music and director of operations, will also accompany the band for selected works. TBI’s own cantorial soloist Kei Sulhi will also join the performance.

The evening turns to Broadway in the final act, embracing the emotion of the iconic musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Sirocchi said the string orchestra always appreciates incorporating the talents of other local performers. This is the first time the group will perform on Longboat Key, and she said about 40 musicians will be there.

“It’s an exciting program,” she said. “It opens with classical selections and moves into an Americana section, which is fitting for the 250th birthday.”

Bowermeister, well known for his contributions to The Venice Symphony, The Pops Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra and other area

Image courtesy of Strings Con Brio

groups, said attendees can anticipate quite a variety with this show.

The set list includes a mix of favorites and new, lesser-known pieces. He said he is particularly eager to share “Concerto for String Orchestra” by Telemann, a German composer from the Baroque period.

“We’ve never done it before,” he said. “Actually, the music was given to me by another conductor several years ago, and I’ve never used it. I thought it would be appropriate to open the concert with it because it’s very lively and has an interesting history.”

For anyone who can’t catch the show, Strings Con Brio will also perform on Aug. 6 at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church. Bowermeister said there will be plenty to enjoy at that show as well, including pairings with the church’s new organ.

Strings Con Brio is slated to perform on July 16 at Temple Beth Israel. The group’s repertoire spans the early 18th century to today.

IF YOU GO

STRINGS CON BRIO When: 7 p.m. July 16 Where: Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road Tickets: $20 per person Info: Call 941-6773291 or visit StringsConBrio.org.

Michael Bodnyk, St. Armands Key Lutheran Church minister of music and director of operations, will sing with Strings Con Brio for certain works during its July 16 performance.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

Feathered friends, have no fear

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING? Anyone who couldn’t attend the training but would like to learn more about volunteer opportunities with Save Our Seabirds can visit SaveOurSeabirds.org/Support. The organization is looking for people to help with wild bird rescues and transportation, but also those interested in being greeters, docents or groundskeeping assistants.

If you have found an injured bird, the Avian Hospital at 1708 Ken Thompson Parkway has hospital staff present daily until 6:30 p.m. Citizens can also call the helpline at 941-388-3010 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Save Our Seabirds educates on bird rescues.

DANA KAMPA STAFF WRITER

S

ummer means many of Longboat Key’s avian residents will be raising and launching their babies.

While the stumbling baby birds may sometimes be in need of a helping hand, other times they simply are following their instincts and learning how to navigate life on their own.

To help Longboat Key residents tell the difference and learn interesting bird facts along the way, Save Our Seabirds held a volunteer training session June 27 in its newly refurbished outdoor learning space.

Jonathan Hande, SOS’s senior avian hospital technician, led the seasonal training. Attendees could sign up as part of the center’s volunteer rescue team, but many of the approximately 50 participants also came to simply learn more about some of Florida’s most iconic animals.

After giving an overview of SOS’s mission, Hande quizzed attendees on the differences between a bird hatchling, nestling, fledgling, juvenile and adult.

This time of year, Save Our Seabirds often gets calls from concerned individuals about baby birds.

Experts assess each case individually, but if the nest is in a busy spot yet otherwise stable, often the best course of action is to leave it alone.

However, if a nest has fallen out of a tree, intervening to place it back as close to the original spot as possible may be the best course of action.

When replacing a nest, it’s best to use a container with drainage, like a wicker basket, a bowl with holes drilled in it or even something like an old bike helmet. If the old nesting material isn’t available, it’s best to use natural twigs and grasses for bedding over a towel, which may hold moisture.

“This is the season when we make the most nests in the year,” he said.

“You’ll learn to be very creative with what you have.”

Jonathan Hande, senior avian hospital technician with Save Our Seabirds, demonstrates how NOT to hold a brown pelican when bringing it in for assessment at the bird rescue organization. Anyone handling an injured pelican should keep an ideally gloved finger between the bird’s beak to keep the bird restrained without inhibiting its ability to breathe.

Photos by Dana Kampa

If a bird nest falls, the best course of action is typically to put it back as close to the original location as possible, Save Our Seabirds experts advise. In the absence of the original nesting material, a substitute wicker basket, bowl with holes drilled in it or an old bike helmet can work, as long as it has adequate drainage.

Most importantly, Hande said residents should either call Save Our Seabirds or leave the bird alone rather than taking it in to raise. Habituating a baby bird can cause lifelong complications as it struggles to mimic and communicate with other adult birds later on.

“If you take the bird from its parents, please bring it here immediately,” he said. “There are a lot of steps that go into making sure it stays wild and understands the appropriate behaviors it should know.”

He also played a video showing two different but similar-looking behaviors. A juvenile royal tern lay on the sand with its head aimlessly weaving about in a way experts call “stargaz-

ing.” This erratic swaying can be an indicator that the bird ingested some sort of toxin, as was the case here.

While the mother bird was also bobbing about, she was healthy and simply concerned with trying to shade her baby from the heat.

“This is a good example of natural behavior versus unnatural behavior,” he added. “She is stressed because she is worried about her kid, but otherwise she is showing normal behaviors.”

Other key signs a bird may need a trip to SOS are if it has a hook or fishing line embedded, cannot stand or fly away, doesn’t quickly recover on its own after colliding with a window, was attacked by a cat or wild animal or is actively bleeding.

Hande noted that even if a bird has a missing or broken leg, as long as this injury is healed, leaving it to live its best possible life in the wild is likely for the best.

“For example, a lot of sandhill cranes will have old leg injuries but be just fine,” he said. “We’re not necessarily going to go out and get every one that has a limp.”

It often isn’t possible to reset a broken bone that has already started to regrow, given birds’ unique structure and quick healing abilities. But he said those birds can often go on to live meaningful lives in the wild.

Adult birds tend to do a good job of keeping themselves cool amid Florida’s high summer temperatures. If they are standing with their wings spread out and panting, they are showing natural behaviors to cool down.

However, if they aren’t willing to fly away even when directly run toward, they may need help.

Hande said the experts’ advice is all a guideline for how to help local birds. For example, birds like killdeer throw a wrench in the mix because of their masterful acting skills.

Killdeer famously will fake an injury like a broken wing to entice a potential predator away from their nests.

When in doubt, the center is always happy to field a call, especially if the person can provide photos or a brief video about the concerning behavior.

“Any bird you see out and about, if you see it in distress, we are here to help if we can,” he said.

Save Our Seabirds is always looking for volunteers to help with catching injured birds, but there are also plenty of opportunities to volunteer

solely to transport birds once they’re caught or ready for release.

Hande said the organization doesn’t operate with the expectation that everyone volunteering to help is a veteran bird expert. Rather, he hopes everyone walks away from such trainings with a bit more knowledge about Longboat’s beautiful birds.

Lisa Wood, director of education and outreach, said, “Every time you bring a bird in to our team of Jonathan and other hospital staff and they treat and release it, that’s another opportunity for them to go back out into the world and do what they’re supposed to do.”

Besides helping keep mosquitoes, bugs, rodents and other pests in check, healthy bird populations also act as key indicators for potentially dangerous changes in the local ecosystem.

“When birds are not thriving, people are not thriving,” she said.

“Becoming a volunteer with us goes beyond our organization. You’re actually helping our whole community and life as we know it here.”

Birds of many species, such as this family of gallinules, are starting to fledge this time of year. Save Our Seabirds experts recently offered insights into how to determine if a juvenile bird may be in distress.

6140 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, FL 34228 941 383 4738

WORSHIP

An Ecumenical Church that Welcomes all God’s People Founded in 1956

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directory

The Lord’s Warehouse summer hours: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

6140 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, FLSaturday 34228 (941)-383-4738.

The Lord’s Warehouse is open Monday, Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

6140 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, FL 34228 941-383-4738

Would like to Welcome & Invite You, Your Family Members & Friends to Celebrate Mass with Our Parish Community MASS SCHEDULE Saturday: 4:00 PM Sunday: 8:30 AM, and 10:30 AM Daily Mass at 9:00 AM; Rosary at 8:30 AM Monday - Friday 4280 Gulf of Mexico Drive Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily following Mass.

Worship Service Sunday 10 a.m.

Service is live streamed at AllAngelsLBK.org

A Generous & Joyful Community

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AllAngelsLBK.org

Longboat Key, FL 34228 941-383-1255 • www.stmarylbk.org

Rev. Robert Dziedziak, Pastor

Join Us For Worship!

Sunday, 10:00 AM

To learn more about our Temple and all our educational, cultural, and social programs, please call us. We’d be delighted to talk with you.

Questions? Email us at info@longboatkeytemple.org 464671-1

Watch live or livestream: www.christchurchof lbk.org (follow YouTube link)

567 Bay Isles Rd, Longboat Key, FL

941-383-3428

longboatkeytemple.org

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You are invited to join us in worship, song & friendship at Shabbat services every Sharing Values, Friendship, and Faith Friday evening at 5:30 pm and Saturdays at 10 am.

Dr. Julia Wharff Piermont, Pastor

6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive • 941.383.8833 • www.christchurchoflbk.org

Worship Sunday 10 a.m.

6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive Longboat Key Florida 34228 941-383-6491 Live Stream available www.longboatislandchapel.org

Catholic Church

You are welcome at All Angels whether it is for a day, a season, or a lifetime... you are welcome here.

Growing in Jesus’ Name

Safe Happy Hopeful

St. Mary, Star of the Sea,

Looking for a Spiritual Home?

563 Bay Isles Rd • 941-383-8161

Summer Faith, Bright Hope

JULY 9, 2026

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT In Florida Studio Theatre’s ‘Dog Mom,’ fur babies have a lot to teach their humans.

Animal

magnetism

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER A+E EDITOR

T

here are few epithets more hurtful than “childless cat lady.” It conjures up images of failure, loneliness and empty wine bottles. Being called a “dog mom” is a different story. It seems fun and open-hearted, even if a dog dad isn’t in the picture.

By definition, dog owners are more social than feline owners. When they take Fido or Fifi for a walk, someone will undoubtedly tell them how cute their dog is and maybe even invite them to a meetup at the dog park.

Pretty soon, they’re part of a pack.

In Florida Studio Theatre’s new play, “Dog Mom,” a newly divorced woman named Liz gets a new lease (Or should we say leash?) on life when she fosters a dog. At first, her sense of connection to her new pet is so tentative she can’t come up with a name for the dog.

Much to her surprise, Liz’s canine companion helps her navigate a new life in the city, where she’s moved back after her married life in the suburbs came to an end.

Thanks to her dog, Liz gets to know her pushy, older neighbor, who is also a dog owner. She also meets an assortment of characters, all played to great effect by Kraig Swartz, à la Alec Guinness in “Kind Hearts and Coronets.”

No spoilers here, but the pets are stars in their own right. For now, the folks who help bring them to life will remain unsung.

The hounds get to know each other and teach their owners how to smell the roses ... and the pizza ... and the poop. (It’s hard to avoid scatalogical humor when you’re dealing with dogs.)

Liz learns how to live in the moment from her dog, whose memory seems to last no longer than a minute or two. She also learns to play. Who knew sticks could be so interesting?

The woman who wrote the play, that’s who. Although she’s never taken a course in writing scripts for screen or stage, Tate Elizabeth Hanyok has spent a great deal of her career on the sets of TV sitcoms, both as an actor and as a coach to young performers.

Hanyok sent “Dog Mom” to FST at the urging of a friend who had performed at the regional theater. The play was accepted for FST’s 2025 Burdick New Play Reading Festival. At the festival, the script-inhand reading for a live audience was directed by Nancy Rominger, who is also the director of the current production.

A FAMILY FOR LIFE

Hanyok said she was inspired to write “Dog Mom” because she wanted to return to her theater roots. Her first

Kelsey Stalter shows Katharine McLeod new tricks in Florida Studio Theatre’s “Dog Mom.”

job out of college was as an intern at Sacramento’s B Street Theatre company, which she still considers “her family” more than 20 years after moving to LA to pursue acting.

B Street Theatre is one of four companies that banded with Sarasota’s FST to produce “Dog Mom” as a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere.

The others are Oregon Contemporary Theatre in Eugene, Oregon, Cadence Theatre in Richmond, Virginia, and EnActe Arts in Sunnyvale, California.

During a wide-ranging conversation with Hanyok, the infectious sense of humor that informs “Dog Mom” is apparent.

To wit: “When you think about what roles you’ll play when you hit middle age, you say to yourself, ‘I’d be a mean Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” but then what?’”

Or, when asked why she left her beloved theater company: “I broke my coccyx because I had to fall on my bum 100 times in a farce that kept getting extended. While I was recovering, I went to LA and shot a commercial. When I saw the paycheck, I thought, ‘What am I literally breaking my ass in theater for?’”

To support herself in LA while looking for acting jobs, Hanyok worked as a dishwasher at a restaurant and cleaned houses, “anything to keep living the dream.” She had

IF YOU GO

‘DOG MOM’ When: Runs through Aug. 8 Where: Florida Studio Theatre’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave. Tickets: $25-$46 Info: Visit FloridaStudio Theatre.org.

Kelsey Stalter finds joy in everyday objects in Florida Studio Theatre’s “Dog Mom.”

some success in TV commercials, including “Miss Decisive” for Hyundai and as a spokesperson for Aspen Dental.

Hanyok and “West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin both experienced heartbreak when the “Saturday Night Live”-inspired TV series “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” didn’t get picked up for a second season after its 2006-07 run on NBC. Hanyok played a minor character whose uncredited role got scaled back. But the silver lining was she spent hours reciting and hearing lines written by the master of snappy dialogue.

If the late writer/director Nora Ephron was famous for saying, “Everything is copy,” Hanyok’s motto appears to be “Everything you do is leading you to your next job.” You just might not know it at the time.

Hanyok got into screenwriting by writing treatments and scripts for young actors she was coaching. She won recognition after submitting her work to screenwriting competitions held by the Austin Film Festival and other festivals. In 2018, she won Best Comedy screenplay at AFF for “Sex APPeal.”

Hanyok initially pitched her screenplays to Lifetime Productions because the family-oriented network doesn’t require writers to belong to the Writers Guild of America. (She has since earned her WGA card, adding it to her membership in the SAGAFTRA union for film and TV actors.)

Although Lifetime leans into romcoms, it also produces thrillers like Hanyok’s “Friends Until the End,” which was shot earlier this year in Duluth, Minnesota, in lots of spooky locations.

Growing up in an old mill town in Northern Virginia in the shadow of Civil War battlegrounds, Hanyok says she took history for granted.

The future playwright spent most of her time down at the local pond that grew out of a crater created by a cannonball. She was on the trail of “critters.”

But Hanyok has learned to appreciate history, especially since she spends most of her time in Los Angeles, where “The Brady Bunch” split level is accorded the respect usually associated with historic homes like Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.

Hanyok’s definition of what is historic will no doubt get expanded during her upcoming trip to London.

That’s where Sunnyvale-based EnActe engineered the U.K. premiere of “Dog Mom,” at Southwark

Images courtesy of Sorcha Augustine

Playhouse Borough in October.

“Dog Mom” almost got a new title because the British call their mothers “Mum.” In the end, it was decided that because the play is clearly set in America, Liz gets to be a dog mom, even on the other side of the pond.

When Hanyok’s in London for the first time, she’ll be able to visit the reconstructed Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare’s plays are being performed more than 400 years after they premiered at the original Globe, which was located just 750 feet away at a site on the River Thames.

The Bard holds a special place in Hanyok’s heart. Early in her career, she was cast in Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s production of “The Tempest” in Little Rock, Arkansas.

“It was a really magical experience because we did it on a lake,” Hanyok says. “Prospero came in on a little boat in the opening and there was a sunset during intermission. Act Two started in the dark with torches. It was just the most visceral theater experience you could ever have.”

“An audience,” she adds, “is never going to get that from AI.”

Ryan G. Dunkin knows how to make Marina Re feel loved in Florida Studio Theatre’s “Dog Mom.”

Image courtesy of Emiliano Mejias

“Dog Mom” playwright Tate Elizabeth Hanyok reacts during a reading of her play at the 2025 Burdick New Play Festival at Florida Studio Theatre.

LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

SATURDAY “Marvin: A Marvin Gaye Revue” plays Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe from July 15-24.

OUR PICK

THIS WEEK

Image courtesy of Sorcha Augustine

THURSDAY

SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road $15-$20 Visit Ringling.org.

The Ringling and the Circus Arts Conservatory join forces for their annual Summer Circus Spectacular in the Historic Asolo Theater.

Ringmaster Ashley Vargas, a veteran of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey and circuses around the world, presides over a showcase of jugglers, roller skaters, hand balancers and a clown she happens to be married to: Davis Vassallo. For $5 more, make it a circus day and tour The Ringling’s Historic Circus Galleries and Tibbals Learning Center, which contains a miniature circus of 42,000 pieces built by Howard Tibbals. Runs through Aug. 8.

JAZZ THURSDAY AT SAM 5:30 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail Free-$30 Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

The Panama Drive Quartet featuring Art Siegel plays straight-ahead jazz, bebop and R&B on the Marcy and

Michael Klein Plaza. The Thursday series is co-sponsored by the Jazz Club of Sarasota. The evening features extended hours in the shop, Bistro and galleries.

‘THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL’ 7:30 p.m. at The Players Centre, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail $25 Visit The Players.org.

This hourlong musical based on the friendly cartoon character from under the sea is the culmination of a kids theater camp run by The Players Studio, the youth education arm of The Sarasota Players. Runs through July 12.

FRIDAY ‘SHARED LIGHT: LYNN GOLDSMITH’ 10 a.m. at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St. $28 Visit Selby.org.

During the past half century, Lynn Goldsmith’s photographs of celebrities and nature have been featured in magazines like Time, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone and have been the subject of 17 books,

‘MARVIN: A MARVIN GAYE REVUE’ This is a sneak peek at the show Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is taking to the 2026 International Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Sheldon Rhoden, who has played Marvin Gaye in four runs of “Prince of Soul,” returns for the musical revue, along with other WBTT artists. Like the man he plays, Rhoden attracts a legion of besotted, mostly female fans.

Runs through July 24.

IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15 Where: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave. Tickets: $54 adults; $24 students and active military Info: Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.

including “Patti Smith: Before Easter After.” Now, her photos are featured in an indoor and outdoor exhibition at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

Runs through Sept. 8.

CLASSIC MOVIES AT THE OPERA HOUSE: ‘DEAD AGAIN’ 7 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $12 Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, this 1991 neo-noir thriller features a starstudded cast including Branagh, Emma Thompson, Andy Garcia, Robin Williams and Derek Jacobi.

Branagh stars as a detective who recruits a hypnotist to help him interview a woman (Thompson) suffering from amnesia. The film features double roles for its actors as they move between the 1940s and the 1990s.

COMEDY LOTTERY 7:30 p.m. at FST’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. $15-$18 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Florida Studio Theatre’s own improv troupe takes over Bowne’s Lab with “Comedy Lottery,” giving the audience the chance to select the night’s games. If FST Improv isn’t on your radar, it’s time for a new machine. Runs through July 25.

For the first time, John Ringling’s Cypriot treasures have a permanent home in Gallery 12 after a decadelong project that officially opened earlier this year.

JAZZ JAM SRQ 5:30 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St. Free JazzClubSarasota.org.

Jazz Club of Sarasota presents a bi-monthly open jam session for professional and amateur musicians.

SUNDAY

WEDNESDAY

‘SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING NEW’ 11 a.m. at the Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail $20 Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

‘THE WIZARD OF OZ: YOUTH EDITION’ 1 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Ars, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $15-$19 Visit AsoloRep.org.

“Something Borrowed, Something New” features major modern artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Chuck Close, David Hockney, Yoko Ono, Kara Walker and Ai Weiwei. Their works have been loaned by private collectors for the show, which runs through Sept. 27. Don’t miss the massive Hockney on loan from Stanton Storer, “Inside It Opens Up As Well.”

REMI GOODE WITH EMILY FROST 7 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court $25 Visit WSLR.org.

Come see the newly remodeled Fogartyville when Remi Goode plays the listening room. The upgraded space features new tables and chairs plus more unisex bathrooms.

An indie-folk artist who crosses genres, Goode is on tour to support her debut album, “Things We Said Before.”

MONDAY ANCIENT ART FROM CYPRUS AND THE MEDITERRANEAN 10 a.m. at The John and Mable Ringling Art Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Road Free with $30 admission; Mondays free Visit Ringling.org.

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Asolo Repertory Theatre continues its summer tradition of staging a family-oriented musical with “The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition.” Follow Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion on the yellow brick road to family entertainment. The hourlong show runs through Aug. 8.

DON’T MISS

‘LEAVING ON A JET PLANE’ Created by Aaron Gundy, “Leaving on a Jet Plane” features an acoustic trio who take you on a flight to the feelgood era of folk music in the late 1960s and 1970s. Among the artists whose works are featured in this upbeat show are Simon & Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Lovin’ Spoonful. Runs through July 26.

IF YOU GO When: 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9 Where: Florida Studio Theatre’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave. Tickets: $42 Info: Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

Sarasota Art Colony artist refuses to be forgotten MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER A+E EDITOR

W

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hen retrospectives for the Sarasota Art Colony were unveiled earlier this year at Ringling College of Art and Design and at Michael Saunders & Co.’s downtown offices, one prominent local artist wasn’t included.

Actually, lots of artists were left out. In post-World War II Sarasota, there were 1,000 artists in a town of roughly 15,000 people, according to Ringling College Chief Curator Tim Jaeger.

“With any historical exhibition, there are always difficult decisions to make,” Jaeger says. “Our goal was to tell a focused story within the available space and resources, and unfortunately, it simply wasn’t possible to include every deserving artist.”

But one of those artists is still around, and her family and friends rallied to make sure she wasn’t forgotten. Her name is Beth Arthur, born in Pittsburgh in 1926. In honor of her centenary, a solo show was held earlier this year at The Field Club.

In May, when Arts Advocates unveiled two of her paintings it acquired for its gallery in The Crossings at Siesta Key mall, Arthur was there, surrounded by dozens of wellwishers.

Founded more than 50 years ago, Arts Advocates is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Sarasota Art Colony.

Arts Advocates acquired Arthur’s paintings “Bryce Canyon” and “Sky Dreams” at the recommendation of its curator Mark Ormond. He included her work in the Sarasota 2000 Biennial exhibition that he curated when he was senior curator at The Ringling Museum of Art. At age 100, Arthur lets others do the talking for her these days, including her daughter, Robin Draper, and granddaughter, Sandy Arthur.

They’ll tell you how Beth Arthur arrived in Sarasota in the 1950s after earning a degree from the University of Pittsburgh with little more than a Martin guitar, some paintbrushes and an invite to study with Hilton Leech.

After teaching at the Ringling School of Art, Leech founded an eponymous art school in 1946 on Hillview Street together with his wife, Dorothy.

“Mom always thought herself fortunate to work alongside Hilton, considering him her most influential teacher,” Draper said. “Hilton was not only a legend in the local art scene, he personally helped Mom to refine her painting technique, while also introducing her to fellow Sarasota artists as she defined her career as a contemporary artist.”

Arthur became part of the Sarasota Art Colony’s social whirl. The scene revolved around Syd Solomon and his wife, Annie, as well as the Ringling School of Art and the Sarasota Art Association, now known as Art Center Sarasota.

Over the next six decades, Arthur would create mosaic, collage and mixed media paintings and move from oil to watercolor and then to stain color painting. The lat-

Monica Gagnier

ter involves pouring, brushing and spraying paint to achieve luminous effects. She continued to paint until her eyesight began to deteriorate when she was in her 80s.

Arthur always signed her work with her last name only, so no one would know she was a woman.

During the 1960s, Arthur studied at the New College Arts Institute with such renowned contemporary artists as Solomon, Philip Guston, James Brooks, Larry Rivers and Conrad Marca-Relii. Arthur’s late husband, Furman “Brud” Arthur, was one of New College’s first employees and was head of public relations for 25 years.

Like other members of the Sarasota Art Colony, Arthur was inspired by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, based in Sarasota from 1927 to 1960. She worked as a staff artist for the circus from 1953-57.

Arthur began doing portraits and landscapes. But she became a maverick with abstract painting, considered the province of men.

“Beth’s work does remind me of some other universe,” Ormond says.

“She takes us there, maybe because she practiced yoga. I always found her to be a very meditative individual.”

Adds Jaeger: “I think Beth’s work absolutely deserves recognition.

She has had a long and meaningful career, and her paintings reflect a deep commitment to observation, craftsmanship and the unique character of Florida.”

Draper calls her mom “a Renaissance woman.” In addition to creating and teaching art, Arthur taught yoga, did facials and collected Native American jewelry.

After her marriage ended, Arthur traveled the Southwest, where she was fascinated by rock formations and petroglyphs. These trips fueled an interest in archaeology that began when she took art classes as a child at the Carnegie Museum of Art and wandered around afterward at the adjacent Museum of Natural History.

The artistic tradition continues in Arthur’s family. Her granddaughter, Sandy Arthur, is a chiropractic doctor who pursues her love of art by painting murals of the human spine.

“If you’re wondering where all the artistic talent in the family went, it went to Sandy,” Draper says. Sandy Arthur is also a pilot and a tennis player, yet another Renaissance woman in the family.

Beth Arthur poses with her granddaughter, Sandy Arthur, in front of two paintings acquired by Arts Advocates Gallery, “Bryce Canyon” (left) and “Sky Dreams.”

IF YOU GO ARTS ADVOCATES GALLERY When: 2-4 p.m. on Saturdays Where: 3501 S. Tamiami Trail Info: Visit ArtsAdvocates.org.

OUR SHOWROOMS ARE OPEN Special Financing Available

www.manasotaonline.com

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Classifieds 24 Games 23 Real Estate 21 Weather 23

JULY 9, 2026

YOUR NEIGHBORS Freedom Fest brings A its A-game

From parade to park rededication to butterfly release, Longboat Key impressed Fourth of July crowds.

Tully, an 8-year-old Irish setter, with Eileen Kamerick and Vic Heckler, won the “Hot Diggity Dog!” contest for the most patriotic costume.

Parade Marshal Susan Phillips waves to the crowd at Freedom Fest.

Chucko the Clown, driven by Observer CEO Mat Walsh, gives the signal to start marching at the Fourth of July parade.

sked what they thought of this year’s special anniversary edition of Longboat Key’s Freedom Fest, parade-goers landed on three main descriptors: creative, cute and fun.

The famous “World’s Shortest Parade” exuded hometown patriotic pride the morning of the Fourth of July with a robust list of activities.

Starting at 9 a.m. along Bay Isles Road across the street from Town Hall, dogs dressed in patriotic capes and families waving miniature American flags awaited the starting cue. Then, with the melodic wail of bagpipes and flashing of fire engine lights, the procession began.

This year’s Freedom Fest, in addition to being a triumphant return to the full-fledged celebration, coincided with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Celebrations took place across the country during the holiday weekend, but Freedom Fest uniquely showcased the Key’s community traditions. Familiar faces like that of Parade Marshal Susan Phillips smiled out to onlookers, and Chucko the All-American Clown drew giggles.

Kim Verreault, president and CEO of the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, said organizers were delighted with the turnout, the enthusiastic participation in costume contests, and the coop-

Members of the Longboat Key Garden Club, including President Melanie Dale (right), lead their group in the Freedom Fest parade on July 4 along Bay Isles Road. The club, along with the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, is one of the main organizers of the patriotic celebration, particularly for the butterfly release.

erative weather, which, unlike last year, only began to rumble as the final activities came to a close.

PARK REDEDICATION

To recognize the 250th anniversary, town officials rededicated Bicentennial Park, where the butterfly release and carnival games took place after the parade.

Commissioner Steve Branham spoke from the steps of Town Hall, saying, “The park was officially dedicated on July 4, 1976. The property was deeded to the town in 1978. The Longboat Key Garden Club has been a steward of this park for 50 years. What you see around the park is the product of their efforts over the years.”

Attendees then entered the park, where the Longboat Key Garden Club orchestrated the release of 250 butterflies. The butterflies flew above the Butterfly Garden, which the club originally owned and still manages.

Club President Melanie Dale said the display was the best yet since it became an annual tradition to recognize Lisa Walsh’s memory.

Walsh, a former Freedom Fest grand marshal, is the late executive editor and co-owner of the Longboat Observer. She cofounded the island’s Fourth of July celebratory event and made notable contributions to the community.

Family members commemorated her legacy by being among the first to release their butterflies.

Dale said she was touched to see so many join in the moment, which was many months

Photos by Dana Kampa

Longboat Key Fire Rescue Chief Paul Dezzi waves forward JoDene Moneuse, who won the “Most Patriotic Float” contest at Freedom Fest. Her festively decorated 1956 Chevy earned her a $500 prize from the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, courtesy of Jack Dean Flooring.

in the making to order and prepare the butterflies. She said that considering how the club relies upon people donating time and resources to facilitate community projects, members enjoyed being able to show their appreciation.

“It doesn’t matter how many times you see it,” Dale said. “When you say ‘Go!’ and see this beautiful canopy, it’s the epitome of what this whole day is about. They have their freedom, and we have our freedom.”

Families dispersed throughout the park after the release for face painting, a dunk tank, colorful sand crafts, a petting zoo, shaved ice and carnival games.

Departing celebrants also took a moment to get a photo with JoDene Moneuse and her “Most Patriotic” prize-winning float.

She enlisted family members to help her decorate her cherry-red

‘HOT DIGGITY DOG!’ The Rotary Club of Longboat Key also brought back its “Hot Diggity Dog!” parade and costume contest. Here are the winners: Best owner-dog combination: Medge Jaspan and Bisou Most patriotic: Eileen Kamerick and Tully Most Creative: Barbara Diznoff and Micky Honorable Mention: Max Moneuse with Hughie; Gail Yeager with Bentley; Michael and Kelly Van Vliet with Lucy; and John Wagman with Huk.

1956 Chevy with fringe and banners. She took home a $500 prize from the chamber, courtesy of Jack Dean Flooring.

— DANA KAMPA

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

Gregg Vesta becomes the round one winner at the introduction of “singo” on June 29 at The Paradise Center. The game is a musical twist on bingo, prompting players to listen to a song snippet and mark its title on the card. The evening was a fundraiser to support the center’s summer programs.

Shook Hall was packed as community members turned out for a game night to support The Paradise Center on June 29. Experienced bingo caller Reneé Fannin gave out the music cues for the rounds of “singo.”

Singing T along at ‘singo’

he Paradise Center was rockin’ this week while guests sang and bopped along with the music at the introductory “singo” game-night fundraiser.

This twist on the classic game of bingo has players listen to clips of music from a particular genre, then mark the matching song title on their card.

Lindy Terry and Kristy Plum each won a round of “singo.”

The June 29 game night, which also offered hot dogs, walking tacos and other snacks for sale, doubled as a community fun night and fundraiser for The Paradise Center’s summer programming.

The joyful crowd, while concentrating on marking their cards, couldn’t help joining the chorus for tunes like “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” and “Take a Chance on Me.” In fact, the only verbal complaint one player launched was that, “For some songs, I just want to hear the whole thing!”

Experienced bingo caller Reneé Fannin coordinated the introductory event, and based on its popularity, said the center may consider making it a monthly staple.

The center also drew the winner of its monthlong 50/50 raffle with a pot of about $1,000.

Even with the smaller summer population on Longboat Key, the center offers a variety of events focused on health, education and community connection.

In July, the center is offering classes on topics including tai chi,

Photos by Dana Kampa

David and Laney Pitt join in a game of “singo” at The Paradise Center. Clues for that round included hit tunes from the ’70s.

qigong, mahjong and chair yoga.

Regular bingo takes place 2-4 p.m. each Wednesday at 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. VisitTheParadiseCenter.org for the full calendar and rates.

— DANA KAMPA

Celebrating 50 YEARS of Living and Working on Longboat Key Cathy C. Meldahl, P.A. Your Longboat Key Community Realtor

Anytime.

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• 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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Celebrating America’s 250th Read Spirit of America, our special patriotic edition highlighting local stories, cherished traditions and hometown pride-now available on Your Observer app.

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Spirit of America VOICES OF AMERICA

Gulfshore of Longboat Key Mobile Home 3710 Gulf of Mexico Dr #F2, Longboat Key 2BR/2BA / A4681154 / $475,000 Marsha Winegarden (248) 563-2820

Longboat Harbour Condo 4340 Falmouth Drive, #D-204 2BR/2BA / A4698081/ $479,000 Jonna Humphries (941) 465-2357

Harbor House South Condo 400 Golden Gate Pt #11, Sarasota 3BR/2BA / A4671447/ $1,350,000 Miguel Rosa (941) 477-5928

Anna Maria Island Single Family Home 403 N Bay Blvd., Anna Maria 4BR/3BA / A4682522 / $2,395,000 NOW $2,299,900 Ed Taaffe (636) 346-6165

Contact Customer Service at 877-231-8834 or customerservice@yourobserver.com

Runaway Bay Condo Anna Maria Island Single Family Home 1801 Gulf Dr N., #266, Bradenton Beach 519 Villa Rosa Way, Anna Maria 1BR/1BA / A4692935/ $360,000 NOW $350,000 4BR/4/5 BA / A4671485/ $5,000,000 Becky Smith (941)773-1954 Elfi Starrett (941)720-3528 Ed Taaffe (636) 346-6165

LOCAL, VETERAN OWNED & OPERATED SINCE 1939

Longboat Key Office 5360 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Suite 101 Longboat Key, FL 34228 941.383.5577

SCAN QR CODE FOR THIS WEEKEND OPEN HOUSES

464749-1

463205-1

YOUR APP for FREE.

YourObserver.com

17

LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

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2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 L on g b o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

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on g b o at1065 K e yGULF | O f f OF e re dMEXICO a t $ 7 79,DRIVE 0 0 0 #402 Longboat Key Club | Offered at $845,000 MLS#HA4178487 2067 A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 MLS# A4666641

L on g b o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

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TO % 3 2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 L on g b o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

2067 230 H ASANDS R BOUR LINKS I V E, #4 POINT ROADDR #3205 L onLongboat g b o at K e yClub | O |f Offered f ere d at at$996,000 $ 7 79, 0 0 0 Key MLS# A4667440 MLS# A4178487

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2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 225 ROAD L on g b oSANDS at K e y POINT | O f f ere d at $#6103 7 79, 0 0 0 Longboat Key | Offered at $529,900 A4178487 2067 H A RMLS# BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 MLS# A4658152

L on g b o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

I A N A DDY, PA IA R E ANL TAODDY, R ® , M BPA A R E A LT O R ®, M B A

IanAddy@MichaelSaunders. com IanAddy@MichaelSaunders.com

3010 2067 GRAND BOULEVARD #432 H BAY A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E

Longboat Offered L onKey g b o|at K e y at| $1,245,000 O f f ere d at $ 7 79, 0 0 MLS# A4683353

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TO % 3 2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 L on g b o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

H APOINT R BOUR LINKS 2402067 SANDS ROAD #4102 DR I V E

L on gKey b o at K e y at | O f f ere d at $ 7 79, 0 0 Longboat | Offered $950,000 MLS# A4178487 MLS# A4663925

2067 H DA R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 L on OgLb o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0 S MLS# A4178487 ST JU

2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E

415 L’LAMBIANCE on g b o at K eDRIVE y | O f f #A701 ere d at $ 7 79, 0 0 Longboat Key | $6,500,000

MLS# A4178487 2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 MLS# A4685660 L on g b o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

G A I L W IT T IG

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BROK E R-A SSOCI ATE GailWittig@MichaelSaunders. co GailWittig@MichaelSaunders. com

941.387.0100 941.387.0100

464761-1

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603HLONGBOAT ROAD 2067 A R BOURCLUB LINKS DR#202N I V E, #4

443770-1

2450 HARBOURSIDE #244 7 H A R BOUR LINKS DR IDRIVE V E, #4

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

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9553.829.149

moc.srednuasleahcim@notluoMle ahciM MichaelMoulton@michaelsaunders.com

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2,154sf | 2BR | $4,499,000 | A4627985

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WHERE THE LOCALS BRING THEIR FRIENDS • Reserve Reserve aa Table Table • Order Order To To-Go -Go •• Dine Dine With With Us Us Tonight Tonight

PUBLIC TURTLE WALK 6:45 a.m. at Longboat Key Beach Access, 4795 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Join wildlife experts at the Longboat Key Turtle Watch’s guided public turtle walk. Participants must be able to walk for about a mile in the sand.

Comfortable shoes and sun protection are recommended. No reservation required. Visit LBKTurtleWatch. com.

462616-1

Planning a gathering? Our intimate private dining room accommodates up to 16 guests and is perfect for celebrations, business dinners, and special occasions.

5350 Gulf of Mexico Dr. (in The Centre Shops) |

941 383 0440

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15

NETWORKING AT NOON 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lazy Lobster, 5350 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Connect with Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce members and catch up on the latest happenings in the local business community. Cost is $35 for members; $45 for nonmembers. Register at LongboatKeyChamber.com.

TUESDAY, JULY 14

LADIES OF LONGBOAT 4-6 p.m. at Ventura’s Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar, 6814 Gulf of Mexico Drive. This happy hour social group is open to all. RSVP to Ashley Dawson at AshTX01@yahoo.com for a head count and to learn about future meetups.

THINKING OUT LOUD Noon to 1:30 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Join in engaging, thought-provoking, nonpartisan discussions on domestic and international events. Open to all. Register by emailing RSVP@ TheParadiseCenter.org or calling 941-383-6493. Visit TheParadiseCenter.org for more information.

CHRIST CHURCH SUMMER LUNCH Noon at Lo’ Key Island Grille, 5620 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Community members can join this social luncheon to catch up on summer news. RSVP at the Christ Church of Longboat Key activity table, 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

RECURRING EVENTS MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS

IYENGAR YOGA 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Certified instructor Deborah DiCarlo focuses on alignment, precision, timing and sequencing in this class designed for all ages. Class is on the second floor, accessible via stairs only. Cost is $20 for drop-ins or a one class pass. Call 941-3836493 or visit TheParadiseCenter.org.

TUESDAYS

Located mid-island in the Centre Shops on beautiful Longboat Key, and just a scenic drive from Sarasota and Bradenton, The Lazy Lobster offers fresh seafood, warm hospitality, and relaxed coastal dining in an inviting indoor setting.

Join us this summer for our popular Early Dining & Happy Hour, recently extended daily until 5:30 PM, featuring exceptional value and many of our guest favorites.

BEST BET

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15

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SATURDAY, JULY 11

ROTARY CLUB 5 p.m. at All Angels Episcopal Church, 563 Bay Isles Road. The Rotary Club of Longboat Key typically meets the first and third Tuesday of the month to hear from community guest speakers and plan upcoming events. Visit LongboatKeyRotary.org to learn more, or contact President Terri Driver at TDriver1@comcast. net or 703-517-8925.

POP-UP LIBRARY 10 a.m. at the Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road. The Sarasota County Pop-Up Library hosts services on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, with storytime beginning at 10:30 a.m. and other services available from 10-11:30 a.m.

Dana Kampa

Michael Garey, owner of Lazy Lobster and president of the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key, listens as General Manager Courtney Rossler shares the challenges and rewards that have come with opening Lo’ Key Island Grille.

QIGONG 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Experienced instructor Sandi Love leads this class on ancient healing arts designed to improve mental and physical well being through gentle movement. Cost is $20 for drop-ins or a one class pass. Call 941-3836493 or visit TheParadiseCenter.org.

WEDNESDAYS

TAI CHI 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Certified instructor Reuben Fernandez leads this fitness class with easy-to-follow exercises and breathing techniques.

Cost is $20. Call 941-383-6493 or visit TheParadiseCenter.org for more information.

COMMUNITY BINGO 2-4 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Caller Renee Fannin runs the show for this fun and lively game. Cards are $1 each; $2 for the final round. Call 941-383-6493 or visit TheParadiseCenter.org.

THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS

BRIDGE CLUB 1 p.m. at the Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive. This American Contract Bridge League-certified group meets twice weekly. Reservations are required. Contact Patty Mayer at 262-215-2566 or PattySarasota33@ gmail.com.

Let us ‘Bringle’ the Showroom to You Call Bringles Blinds Today

SALE! $500 OFF all Custom Interior Shutters & Shades Bringles Blinds provides affordable blinds, shutters, shades, and master installation services to the Longboat Key, Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch and surrounding areas.

464204-1

BringleBlinds.LBK@gmail.com BringlesBlinds.com

*Offer valid with minimum purchase of three

Longboat residents and business owners Chris & Dana Bringle

463599-1

CALL FOR A FREE QUOTE (941) 320-7019

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

19

Local Roots, Legacy of Experience: One Family, Two Generations #1 Individual Agent SW FL Coldwell Banker 2024 & 2025 Ryan Ackerman 941.387.1818

Barbara Ackerman 941.387.1820

NEW PRICE INCREDIBLE VALUE

GRAND BAY IV

NEW PRICE NO CONDO FEES FOR 2026!

$1,475,000 AQUA

3010 GRAND BAY BLVD., #493 • 2BR/4BA • 2,550 SQ FT

9th Floor Cayman Plan with Gorgeous Sunrises, Sunsets, Bay, Beach & City Skyline Views • Blank Canvas • 10’ Ceilings • 2 Prime Side-by-side Parking Spaces • Dual Gated • Pet-Friendly

PLAYERS CLUB III

1445 GULF OF MEXICO DR. #101 3BR/3BA • 2,092 SQ FT

$1,180,000 FAIRWAY BAY - ATRIUM

Corner Unit with Sunset Views • Unique Floorplan w/ 36’x11’ Sun Room • Private 1-car Garage AND Covered Parking Space Expansive Balcony with Beach & Gulf Views

$5,500,000 WHITFIELD ESTATES

280 GOLDEN GATE PT. #600 • 3BR+OFFICE OR 4BR/3.5BA 4,101 SQ FT • Stunning Full-Floor Residence 180° Unobstructed Bay Views Private Elevator Foyer • 10’ Walls of Impact Glass • Deeded Boat Slip • Private 2-Car Garage Excellent On-Site Amenities

2120 HARBOURSIDE DR. #623 3BR/2BA • 2,031 SQ FT

Ringling • Handcrafted Architectural Details • 21’ Ceilings New Electric, Plumbing & HVAC • Gourmet Quartzite Kitchen w/ Big Chill Appliances • Original Pine Floors w/ 12” Baseboards

$1,095,000 OYSTER BAY ESTATES

Beautifully Updated • Corner Residence w/ Direct Bay Views Large Balcony off Living Room & Primary BR • Garage Parking Excellent Amenities Including Bay Isles Beach Club

$2,150,000

7715 WESTMORELAND DR. • 5BR/4.5BA 4,782 SQ FT • Palatial Legacy Estate Built in 1918 for Alfred

$4,695,000

1421 N. LAKE SHORE DR. • 4BR/4F, 2H BA 4,217 SQ FT • 2-CAR GARAGE • Hurricane Impact

Windows & Sliders • 72” Glass Fireplace • High-Capacity Wine Room • Gourmet Quartz & Stainless Kitchen • Hardwood Floors Throughout • Pool w/ Custom Waterfall Wall

SELLER PAYING 3% + 1% BONUS TO BUYER’S BROKER

$1,499,500 CORAL COVE

111 S. PINEAPPLE AVE. #1013 • 2BR+DEN/2BA 1,577 SQ FT • 2-PARKING SPACES • Modern Downtown

Residence South / Southwest Bay & City Views Hurricane Impact Windows & Sliders • 10’ Ceilings • Just Steps to Elevator • Pet-Friendly

$1,975,000 OYSTER BAY ESTATES

7430 COVE TER. • 3BR+OFFICE/3.5BA • 4,200 SQ FT Elevated 2-Story Home on 109’ of Waterfront • 25x18 Owners Suite w/ Separate Gym or Nursery & Private Sun Deck Sprawling Screened and Open Air Wood Deck Swim Spa Private Trex Dock • 2-Car Garage

Modern Oasis All on One Level • Open Floor Plan • Quartz & Stainless Chef’s Kitchen • Oak Wood Floors • 175-Bottle Wine Room

NEW PRICE

WATER CLUB I

NEW PRICE

$3,249,000 CLUB LONGBOAT

1241 GULF OF MEXICO DR. #803 • 3BR/4F BA 3,045 SQ FT • 2 GARAGE PARKING SPACES • Amazing Gulf to Bay Views • Beautifully Renovated Designer Kitchen and White Marble Bath • All New Wood & Porcelain Tile Floors Throughout • Beautiful Direct Gulf Front Gated Community

LA BELLASARA

$5,595,000

1429 N. LAKE SHORE DR. • 5BR/4F, 2H BA 4,545 SQ FT • 3-CAR GARAGE • Brand New Construction

5055 GULF OF MEXICO DR. #412 3BR/2BA • 1,484 SQ FT

Ground Floor Walkout • Private Beach Access • Tennis and Pickleball Courts • Flexible Living Layout • Pet-Friendly Community • Convenient North Longboat Key Location

$4,295,000 FAIRWAY BAY I

464 GOLDEN GATE PT., #702 3BR/5BA+DEN • 3,377 SQ FT • Bayfront Bayfront Panoramic Views • Private Elevator Entry • Open Floor Plan • Boat Dock Available • Expansive Outdoor Terrace w/Summer Kitchen • Private 2-Car Garage • Gated Pet-Friendly Community

$565,000 LAWRENCE POINTE

101 SUNSET DR. #301 2BR/2BA • 1,778 SQ FT

Unobstructed Direct Bay & Sunset Views Corner Location Meticulously Renovated • 2 Private Balconies • Gated, Pet Friendly Community • Covered Parking Space

$539,000 ORCHID BEACH

1932 HARBOURSIDE DR. #242 • 2BR/2BA 1,192 SQ FT • Turnkey Furnished Move-In Ready 4th

Floor Residence • Beautiful Bay Views • Updated Kitchen & Bathrooms • Ceramic Tile Floors • Gated, Pet Friendly Community w/ Excellent Amenities • Under-Building Parking Private Beach

$1,290,000

$4,450,000

2052 BEN FRANKLIN DR. #D702 3BR/3.5BA • 3,654 SQ FT • Direct Gulf-Front 7th Floor Lido

Beach Residence Unobstructed Beach, Gulf, Sunset & Bay Views • 10’ Ceilings • Bamboo Floors • Large Waterfront Terrace w/ Built-In Grill

The Ackerman Group | Coldwell Banker Realty • 443 John Ringling Blvd., Ste. F | Sarasota, FL 34236

464839-1

MARK SARASOTA

20

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

560 HARBOR POINT ROAD

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BAY ISLES 4 Beds | 5 Baths | 5,245 Sq. Ft. | A4671218 | $9,700,000 Jonathan Fox & Meghan Leiter, 941.544.6649

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1561 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE #30 4 THE RESIDENCES AT THE ST. REGIS LONGBOAT KEY 3 Beds | 4/1 Baths | 4,891 Sq. Ft. | A4685495 | $13,000,000 Lynn Morris & Kim Ogilvie, 941.400.4526

LONGBOAT KEY 3 Beds | 3/1 Baths | 3,521 Sq. Ft. | A4680618 | $4,700,000 Kim Ogilvie & Lynn Morris, 941.376.1717

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THE RESIDENCES AT THE ST. REGIS LONGBOAT KEY 2 Beds | 2/1 Baths | 2,154 Sq. Ft. | A4627935 | $4,499,000 Michael Moulton, 941.928.3559

BAY ISLES 4 Beds | 3/1 Baths | 4,209 Sq. Ft. | A4666688 | $4,550,000 Julie Klick & Beverly St. Hilaire, 941.780.6001

562 R ANGER L ANE

AHEEEHAPEJEJCCKMPLPEJAFOJDOGCGEMAGDFJFCDHNHFFEGEHCCEPAMGJPAHEEEHA BNFFFNBPIOMPMDMOFDMLNOMOIPEDICAHFHAOALECMGAGMHJOMOEGBDIPFPBNFFFNB ICKDPCFEABCNMIMGKPNLLGEKGINIHEDFADHEGBOAINHGNPLPAFHFANFLEBFEKFGKC PGEDNMFCGBPOIGNHIDKBPJKHKJFFNJHKGBHCJCFEENOEGDKCECNIAPOFNNDGANPLE IOFFPJFBMCFHNILCHOMOCMGNNDMHHKKCDKAAPHLAPDHJCDOHAACOJLHGJHOBAGJEI NLPHLLFOJLKMDIODKPNHGFDEMJPINPGEGOGLLEPGCOGGPJMFEHHNANHEEIFMELEAN LHNMJLFMECLNMPNOANPLPPCAINNEDLACDFLHLBFFEFONGHKHCKNLFKHFNGDDANLJE CCMMIBFBMMNHNHBNFBNDABMOCPPFENIJBFAINPDHPAFNCFMABKCEPFPOIBFJEEPIA AFLIBNFMAPLFDNKJAIJLDMFEEABJMHAMFMBEHDNEGENCPBFBANHHAMHBBNEMAJGAD OBBLCMFPIFJPKHBCMNFDAGNDJJKHDBIBMFCOIFEAGLGAFMLGCBNEADGNKFANMNNNF KLNKCEFBGFCHELGPJKOOFCPAGGMHGPKAJAACPOKANKJJONGDAMDGJCHEMMFENEPJI DAAJMNFNJGFODFOAGODEFGEAAEEBAELANMENKGODFPPGNOFNEMGKEAOJKDKNNPIBL JPDCDMFAADKOPMLCPJEKOGMEFLAHOKECILNHGBNPAGPFCBABAINBCGPPCOEEMKLFN KDJAPJFILEKKDFELNBHAGGAGCLNLCMOMKCCILOCEPCGNAPHAEPLNNCPEHLNDHHJAJ MFFNFNEPIBJBOMLJNJCHONMOIICOABAHFHANINBEAOPGPGNMALGCCGPLAHFHALCBL APBBBPAPKEGMCGDHLALGHKIODGLEMMHFADBCLNMEGNGBAKLOCANLGMGMCHBCANLCB HHHHHHHPPHHHPHHHHPHPPHHHHPHHHHPHPHPHHHHHPPPPHHPHHPPPPHHPPHHHPHPHP

LONGBOAT KEY 4 Beds | 4 Baths | 3,624 Sq. Ft. | A4680006 | $2,999,999 Michael Nink, 941.914.2805

535 SANCTUARY DRIVE #A4 01

AHEEEHAPJFIKBBGADIMHFMJMKNCAENJPMKPGKGOPLOEGJIKHEBOIDDMGJPAHEEEHA BNFFFNBPNOJHELJLALEDILJCMPJGNHAHFHAGIDBHJOIOJCMGEGBDELIPEPBNFFFNB OEDCOEFKJGODCGNHLBDFKHFHCGMJGCFDBCGKIPPBJCIIMOKBOLGEBDLFFIMKMLHCK MFIPBPFBKFPNLEDLEAJPDFGEJKJJBKEJKNLAKBJIIGFHKPGBHBBGMMNFCBPFDODHA AGCCIBFJLFCPFGMFAGECHLBFFLLAACCKENHJFPMHILPBFFJPIIFJODPOOAJJIOODP CEOGKFFBJKLCNKDCJAAJHECKCHOJMBIKHPGJHKOHDAIIOIFJKJGMBDJKFJECKFFBM BCBAEJFKPOHOPMBMJLDIDDODLOBIPIDBPGGEICJJIGNPKLGEBIBHJJEGBKPADOHFI GCNNMJFBMLKNPPGKCFBLHGLGKHICDFABFBMAFHEAIINNHCLIJKNDINHGMFBBMMIPH OLLDBMFNAOKDIDLIBGHFCAKKKOAINJAMENBKJNMFHKDMOAEPODGGBDJPAMFMAHHBC NCNHOFFMEJFMJENOAOGAMOJAKJHAPCLCAJONLGIIKIFDJAHFBCBIMIFOGJMOPOBBJ CDKNFMFJBCFPMDBIOCGGCFIIOGFBOGCIOHHKHGNHKCBBJKBLIEEBOKPMLLCMFMIOP NOBINDFDIEEANLPBHANKEHFAKCFABIOOGNFDEIPCEBBIMPEDKCHLFOAHLCLDDBJAK KMPOPPFDMJKNMPHODKHJCKAENIMLCLOLIHBEFCBDMFMGONMCDLBNOFMMOCIHPJHJB CLNELBFAMLNCLPCMKJPEJBHOKDKMFEGENFFACGFDICGFHIAIMHMMKKHMAMKLPPOHO MFFNFNEHKAIPAEBIMHMGNMNAGGDPBPAHFHANFDAFBABIOHMCOFHDDIBFAHFHAFDAK APBBBPAPIIKPBNLJJDKFLGENAFHIAPEGEHFLMOAIKOFCMEPNBDBHKPFPGDFBDOHON HHHHHHHPPHHPHPHHHHPHPHHPPHHHHPHPPHPPPPHHPHHHHHPPPHPPPPPHPHHPHPPHP

635 JUNGLE QUEEN WAY LONGBOAT KEY 4 Beds | 3/1 Baths | 3,047 Sq. Ft. | A4679064 | $2,895,000 JoDene Moneuse, 941.302.4913

510 HARBOR GATE WAY

AHEEEHAPKOBFPOIHMCACKLGNLBALPDJLJIGCCJHMCGCEIOCMOKFDGHMGJPAHEEEHA BNFFFNBPEDNPBCFGJPIKAPFGALBONKAHFHALFHAPJLFCJLJPBHBCIKIPFPBNFFFNB MGOEDBFJEHNGLLNCKNOFMEGBGNJBKLECFEBFBGKPNCDKMGIAFKLIDMDEBAALBEPFP BHNBEDFFNEGCNIJGFGGNGJEIPLODDDDAGLGMFMBLFDCPDMPHDGIBHLLKICGKFCOEB BFABNOFABCEHJOFEMBNGFJBHGJNPKLOBMFJNLJGOMEKFBNLKDHPBMMDJMILPDDOLN LENGCMFCFIMPIDJOHAJIDGBBAKBALDBHEACCMCLLDICJIOBKBICCFJKLBHADHEDPI IABANEFAGDLDCDCMEPNMKMPIMMMOMOOGCCEIOOBLHLKPHIPIHEIFFBIGJKHBDEOCA HNNOEJFNAFKBEMJCAPFLANJFOHMHKPINFNEKNKOKOAKCHOCOFMPAMKKKMJJFALOOE NDKNBMFMBJGLGLEABBEAKMDOJDIFDAAMFNBKNMJJDDDNKLIIDPLHFCCCANFMBCDOP NHEEBJFANPOAPKAPDGIEOBPDBGPDHKLPPJIBFMBNBALOBCPNBCJIHMDALLNAKCIPJ FOIIHCFCJGDHHKLOPCBHKPCPOHMMIAPKDGJCABPPIFMMBICJFCEKIODNBCILILKPF JBINIHFECKALDLEHDKJHDKIAHMLOFBLGLFOJPJJMAAKKMJIBFACBHHCGAHDCIANOG KJFEDMFCPALCNPKJEKKNAECLCFGMGAOILJBLDGKBFJKJHGHIHEAKBAKEHPFLJGKKJ ODNAHJFAMKOPMJDDCBNKAJCJHPJGIHGDPBBOCPHOIODHBACBFCGGMOCNCDEGIDMPE MFFNFNEHCGEBGOLJECHPONNPNHBIKHAHFHAKIDFMHBLIIJIDDELNHBKEAHFHAGDOO APBBBPAPCGKIPANDJPMJCLNGCNJMHBGBGCEJIAPOBIAPFEHBHPIEDILDHAEAECKNE HHHHHHHPPHHPPHHHHPHPPHHPHPHPHHHHPPHPHPHHPPHHHHHPHHPHPPPHPPHHPPPPP

BAY ISLES 4 Beds | 5/1 Baths | 5,080 Sq. Ft. | A4671696 | $4,395,000 John August & Jeff Weller, 941.320.9795

AHEEEHAPJNIJJCBEFOGODIPBMPGAIJOPALPOEEOPLKEIBNLAIGMAPLMGJPAHEEEHA BNFFFNBPNKMKMHFOJKFPAHFOEGJGNPAHFHAOIGAHJOIHJDJKMCBLIPJOFPBNFFFNB PHCCPAFIICGHAKJMOMFEIKCAOMNPOCHDBCFEKHOBJDJLIIMBOLPADNILFOMKKNDAK HLECNPFJEDPOLGBFMKAIPKNEJHHAKPFMPIPADAIIMHMDKPGLFKBCIHNFCBPGDOHPI MCCJPJFHDKGAEKKMOGAFCBDALOPHIMDGONLLGOEGODHCDFJNOANJOLOOOAJIOEMDP DGJIGNFDBGIODKJOLCAJHIFALLFOPCKGAOGPFDPFHJJIMANLKJGMBIBKFJFCMFHBM PGIDEIFDAACPEPLEMJPADPGEKAFNFCIKLMBEICIIOHMCOLGEBJBGMNOKAPONFIHBJ CODGEFFBANIFCLLKCIIMCEICDAOPIIEJFBENANMCMHHFFGAJICMIONHNMBJBMMMGG GCDKANFMAHCNOKAOFAPBOHMPCCMLHBBNFMALGNNHHCIMOFMJIOPJBCJDANFNADHAL LLNHHPFMEMHMJGJMKKOIHGKPHJGKNGNDGKBNDAIMKMNCIBGBHOALOBEMCIEHMOBMA IJKAFFFFLOBAKNJGNFMAIHAIDNCJEGCNBOLFNGNHKCBLDAAOIFGCKDGKDKKMFMIHH CAMDMGFFGFFKIKAJHLCGHEMJBBPABEHCJLKIEINCEBBLIHMAOBGODGJHEJHDDFNAC MFMHKAFOGOPOLDDKNGMBJHLKNJPPPEHCHKIHFKDCMFMFOFOEBIJLOMMIOMMHPCDIB CHNIHNFHOCEIBMALAGAMDBAOKILOKALENJDIOIFGKLOADIAGIFEMKJPIILGBFEOHO MFFNFNEHCIAANGLHADMPFDJOGGFGOGAHFHAGGCBCDAAJMGMCIFPDDABFAHFHAHHAK APBBBPAPIFDEJEEKCCIFLIEKEBAPONAFHBFJOMGNIEGDMPONBDBHKENPGDFECODON HHHHHHHPPPHPHHHPPHHPPPHPPPHHHHPHPHHPPPHPPPPHHPHPPHPPPPHHPHHHHPPHP

LONGBOAT KEY 3 Beds | 3/1 Baths | 3,115 Sq. Ft. | A4685033 | $3,265,000 Susan Alliano & Ingrid Walker, 941.735.6571

LONGBOAT KEY 4 Beds | 3 Baths | 3,149 Sq. Ft. | A4675541 | $3,499,900 Cheri Castro, 941.740.5371

10 05 BOGEY L ANE

1591 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE #413

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595 BOWSPRIT L ANE

AHEEEHAPJNAJHOPBOIKHGLHFAAIACENLMGMBGEOPLOEEJLIKMAOIDHMGJPAHEEEHA BNFFFNBPNONHALAOMOBHECMKNLAGNOAHFHAKBHBHJOIOFHNDEDAPALJPEPBNFFFNB MDCCNGFKJFNLLGBDDDENDOMLPAKHCBHDBBFOGLHAJDJPIIMCKDHEFDIAFOMLMMBBL JEKDHBFJAKEFCGALHDBOIJMEJGHJKBMJGMLKLIIFNPMGOPGFBJIEIGFEBBPHFLHHI ACLCPHFBEAGAILIDHCALBOBOBDDFEDEBOBDPJONEPJOMGFINKAFJOEHOOAJKMEIDP AGBIODFMFDDEFLAKEDDJHDPONHFCIGLCKPGDFLGFFAAIOAELKJGMBFBKFIFHKBBBM BGDEEIFKFOPJDNCJDOGEOPOMDCOEHEJCOLAEJAAIKGEDMLHEBJAHMJEGALOHHGBFJ DDFMANFBMGKIOIIKCNFCKGIMMKJMFGAFFBEIIFEDKJPFFDJJIKFDKNHEMNJNIEOCP AMCAAMFMBCMOGOGKJCJPNOLJJGMDAHBNFNBMPMMEFIBMOOMNKCOAFDIPANFMBDFIK NBNHILFMEGBMJAHFIDFPOEIEFJEEHAPPPNKCACJIIGFDJIPFBNJPJIFIEOMKOOBEI IJHAFFFLOCBCJHMKNAGCJFADFJEAPHCFHFJEFHMHKCBAJAAJKGMCIDHKJLGMFMIOP PDOOHOFKKEEKLBGAFFLMGPNDJLKABJLMEAIOJLGCEBBNKGMEOIOLDOJDLNPDDFJEC BBLLCEFOOPJOAPDAEGINPHEGCKECHNNNCDHGBIJDMENDKHEEBAABMOFOGMAHPCHIJ CDNEPFFPFBKLMMBFAJLDIEDOKLCCKHAENBBOAGNGMJHLDIAAKFGMILGIAGPAGMKPO MFFNFNEPKGDJAJBKCLIHIAMKHBOJGFAHFHADNDAFHMIKIGMCMFHDDAJFAHFHAFFAK APBBBPAPIEMHPOMCGBLFLIPKFMBAFPAGAAHPIOIMMGFHKOPNBDBHKMMPGDFBCEDON HHHHHHHPPPHPHHHPPPHPPHPPPPPPHPPHPPPPPPHHPHPHHPHPPHPPPPHHPHHPPPPHP

LONGBOAT KEY 4 Beds | 2/1 Baths | 2,550 Sq. Ft. | A4668868 | $3,140,000 Melissa Gissinger, 941.404.2722

AHEEEHAPJFIGIAOECECFBMGKMMNCAOMPIJBCDGOPLOAMBMJKMANIPCMGJPAHEEEHA BNFFFNBPNOMCMKILJPMCIDBDMGFGNCAHFHALEDAGJOICNHMPECBHAOJOEPBNFFFNB NCCGPEFLIGFGKKBHHOFCBFDPKNMHDGCDBFEDKJOPHDIOIAECMEHEDAJBFOMKKJBCK EALEIKFOPINHNFBBIHODLKOEJNAKGCGEHOHEHAANMMMGOPGLDFBEIPEGBBPHFIDPI EKOBJDFODMHKKMHCIOEKFAPOKIOEGAOFEFNBLGEEOLHEHFJJOIFJOKOOOAJKMOIDP DEPMIJFMGPODGHEJLCCJHCIGKLGAJEANPOHBDJPADDJIKANPOJGMBAIKFIEFOBDBM DGILEJFEKFDCLKMEGFFNLHOGBKGJHDKBPGLFIIBBNOMHMCOEBIBBKHMLAKOEHKFCJ HLHIAJFNAGDCBPNKCJGBKGKLHPJGEFMBFJAFIGFDIIPFFNJJILEDONHPMFJJMMKDK GPPPBMFMBJLEPHACNKEHKAPALKACDFANEMBAODAFBAAMOGMMKJPEDDIPANFMBJHMG EENHJOFMECEMJAOAOPPABEHGCIEOJEONNMELFAIMKGMCIIOFHOJJMAFMILEFOOBNA PHOHIAFEKGJDOJBFDNCPKHNJPHGDFHCDIHNDCOEHKGFLHAANOOFGOHGKPDGMFMIGH HGOLACFLDEEGFEDLNKGCMPAMLKIABKKODIAEADPDEBBIKFGEPLGMFMJFAEPDDBJDC HFKHPPFLDAKMDLDAEFECOPBGKKFDIDJNPDBDMCINCEMCMFGEFAJJOLFOGBIHPGFMJ KPBMDJFDIHPPCPAOGBNKLGOOKMMABCLENHAGBNMGMKPCDIAGIMMMKKGKIDKBHIKHG MFFNFNEPCNEFABMDDHAMLPHPOHMFFFAHFHAAMNMFHIBJKGMIINHDDAIFAHFHAJHAK APBBBPAPIPHLDEEKGAJFLDMMMFDKPHHCBDBLMGIGIPELMPONBDBHLOMPGDFBCOBON HHHHHHHPPPPHHPPPPHHPHHHHHHPHPPPHPPHPPPHHPPHHHHHPPHPHPHHHPHHPHPPHP

311 FIREHOUSE COURT

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CONRAD BEACH 3 Beds | 3/1 Baths | 2,352 Sq. Ft. | A4665445 | $2,399,000 Kathy Harman, 941.900.9828

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM

463666-1

1571 HARBOR C AY L ANE

4127 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE # N102

AHEEEHAPJONHDMDBHJMDDJAIPHPDDCFLOGICIEDADCDECDLKMGNDHAAKFPFHGPAHEEEHA BNFFFNBPNGAONKJGNCMONKFKEDAGACFLAHFHAOECALJOIDNKACBCMLNCBCAPEPBNFFFNB JAGGJEFIILPMJNDBNJNBKNCKKADPCAEKEDDDGIPBDCADNAMGNKHNBCIIMPKCDLPOKKHHI IPMBPIFJODJAAGJIFFEOCKJCFHDCIEDJBNNLPPJMOHEHOAGPGAILINMAIMNGMDJIOMMDP EIHGPPFDLJCLKLJMDHNAACEBOPIEMDMLILNHFAHBOFGBBBBMCOEDPNMIDKJBENMDMBFBM BKKGCMFKCBHOOGCPKJIOKOLAMFDLHKNANHNADDAGDCKIIGECKLGAIIGOIPFKCKHIDCDEO PGEEPMFACGNNMNLCKNIBIBDPGLCDOEHLGOBJIEHAKGNBICOHDJHDMDMMNFPKOPBDMCMAH BFDDBDFJPELOFMLONMMJGLLKKGNFLKFEANOOHBKDMFHAHBBOMAGDIOHPGCIBEAGAKNDJK OMEIAHFHADMGDHOKEJIOFANPPLCICGPEAHFHAPCBFCAGIAHHKJGFBHJMCGEBAHFHAKHMI DEAIECFEFMCLHBDCCFCLBADFMBCKCJMFFFDGDLCKOANLKDAIHABKIHNDKLOODGCCEDEKP FNOKIEFEHCIFDAGCLCKGLNACBFCOKBFPOEPHDMGBLCBEFAIAOIEEOPPBDIJBKFHIMMFED FIPLNGFIEAFLMOOONAKABPGAKGPLADNHFFLGCEBAIHKKOOEEOBONFAJMMFENOPMDOAPJA PPNMOMFMKIIIOAFJDOIJIBHNDAJBKJEBFPHDPMODMOEAJPHPHNJIOGNDMBHFCDCBGIMHG OGCLAPFIICDJONEMODMFFHAKLBFMHFMILCLABGHNKDPPGIBAOHELMKHBHJJDIMHKABDDL IHJDJJFJJAJCCFIFLOGCFLMPOMHGEDBIHIKHNAEPDAIMCIELPJOLFKDKKAHKGIAOMKNMI ENNFFNEHKNPMCPMEHIOCCOGFCODIOEPNAHFHAEHJOPFDMJPAIDINKIFEICBNAHFHAKMGH APBBBPAPIBOKADAALBHFOFCKBHJHPDKLFAFGEHJEOHOHFDICMEECNCBKHGBGAFGHGDFDG HHHHHHHPPPHPPPPPHPHHPHPHPPPHHHHHPHPPPHPHHHHPPHHHPPPPHHPPPHHPPPHPHPHPP

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

JUNE 22-26

The home at 11 S. Washington Drive sold for $5.4 million. Built in 1953, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,284 square feet of living area.

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

E

lizabeth Marshall, trustee, sold the home at 11 S. Washington Drive to 11 South Washington LLC for $5.4 million.

Built in 1953, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,284 square feet of living area.

Randall and Kori White, of Morrison, Colorado, sold their Unit 5 condominium at 5005 Gulf of Mexico Drive to 50055 Longboat LLC for $3.5 million. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, four-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 3,358 square feet of living area. It sold for $3.5 million in 2021.

Dana Kampa

MARINA BAY

Sven Mohr and Garnett Ann Black, of Longboat Key, sold their Unit 131 condominium at 2410 Harbourside Drive to Suzanne Roski, of Richmond, Virginia, for $1.7 million.

Built in 1993, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,713 square feet of living area. It sold for $1 million in 2013.

GRAND BAY

Deanna Wainstein, of Cleveland, sold her home at 3620 Fair Oaks Place to Eric and Katie Briones, of Longboat Key, for $2.9 million. Built in 1991, it has three bedrooms, fiveand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,664 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.75 million in 2012.

Anne Spindel, trustee, of Longboat Key, sold the Unit 283 condominium at 3040 Grand Bay Blvd. to Bruce Kanfer and Hilary Martin, of Woodstock, Vermont, for $1.65 million. Built in 1996, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,369 square feet of living area.

It sold for $875,000 in 2019.

Gregory Joseph Missick, of Los Alamitos, California, sold his home at 3511 Fair Oaks Court to Thomas Craven, trustee, of Taylor Mill, Kentucky, for $1,325,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,579 square feet of living area. It sold for $964,800 in 2020.

Franklin Cona, trustee, of Mableton, Georgia, sold the Unit 644 condominium at 3070 Grand Bay Blvd. to Nina Oken and Mark Lear Montgomery, of Longboat Key, for $737,000. Built in 1995, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,350 square feet of living area. It sold for $485,000 in 2011.

JOHN RINGLING ESTATES

HARBOUR OAKS II

QUEEN’S HARBOUR

BL LaRue Real Estate LLC sold the home at 408 Jackson Drive to Marta Boatright Foster and Gary Michael Foster, of Columbus, Ohio, for $2.75 million. Built in 1955, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,344 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.8 million in 2023.

REVISED LONG BEACH

John Richard Exley III sold his home at 7149 Longboat Drive N. to Longboat Canal House LLC for $2.25 million. Built in 1967, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,616 square feet of living area.

It sold for $1.15 million in 2021.

Vincent and Lisa Molinari, of Longboat Key, sold their home at 2341 Harbour Oaks Drive to William Eubanks and Denise Doyle, trustees, of Longboat Key, for $1.41 million.

Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,282 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,275,000 in 2022.

million. Built in 1979, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,903 square feet of living area. It sold for $655,000 in 2012.

INN ON THE BEACH

Milam Realty LLC sold the Unit 4206 condominium at 240 Sands Point Road to Torretta Building Operations Inc. for $1.05 million.

Built in 1982, it has one bedroom, one bath and 640 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.1 million in 2024.

LIDO TOWERS

Gregory and Julie Hoesly, trustees, of Elm Grove, Wisconsin, sold the Unit 604 condominium at 1001 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Maureen Bradley and David Edward Shoop, of Sarasota, for $985,000. Built in 1980, it has two bedrooms, three baths and 1,702 square feet of living area. It sold for $175,000 in 1991.

PELICAN HARBOUR AND BEACH CLUB

Christopher and Laurel Stearns, of Fort Collins, Colorado, sold their Unit G-2 condominium at 4234 Gulf of Mexico Drive to M. Janet Jason, of Longboat Key, for $800,000. Built in 1973, it has three

bedrooms, two baths and 1,636 square feet of living area. It sold for $950,000 in 2023.

SLEEPY LAGOON PARK

Jonathan Gurland, trustee, of Englewood, sold the home at 535 De Narvaez Drive to One JBLDevelopment LLC for $750,000. Built in 1972, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,556 square feet of living area.

CLUB LONGBOAT BEACH AND TENNIS

Lawrence Glenn Irvine, Gerald Grant Irvine, Linda Jacquelene Irvine, Tracey Janice Mead and Maja McCallum Miller Lees, trustees, of Ontario, Canada, sold the Unit 435 condominium at 5055 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Colby Julian, trustee, of Winter Garden, for $575,000. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,484 square feet of living area. It sold for $750,000 in 2008.

ONLINE See more transactions at YourObserver.com.

VEINTE

Michael and Cheryl Absher, of Marion, Illinois, sold their Unit 303 condominium at 2675 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Wayne Segal and Jenifer Yorke Segal, trustees, of Birmingham, Michigan, for $1.32

TOP BUILDING PERMITS These are the largest building permits issued by the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Department for the week of June 26-July 2, in order of dollar amounts.

LONGBOAT KEY Address

Permit

Applicant

Amount

1930 Harbourside Drive #113

Comm. Alteration

Chris White

$375,000

5382 Sandhamn

Res. Alteration

Andrew Riedel

$352,252

4765 Gulf of Mexico Drive #B202 Comm. Alteration

James Hobson

$269,819

603 Longboat Club Road #903 Comm. Alteration

Ashley Matherly

$260,000

4545 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Comm. Roof

Christopher Sutter

$245,984 $148,700

3515 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Res. Roof

Thomas Jacques

323 Firehouse Lane

Res. Deck

William Scott Howard $111,531

771 Binnacle Point Drive

Res. Dock/Seawall/Lift Mark Joseph Powers

$77,588

3334 Sabal Cove Lane

Res. Alteration

David Harlan

$74,750

525 Halyard Lane

Res. Swimming Pool/Spa Todd Duncan

$60,000

2450 Harbourside Drive

Comm. Windows/Doors Michael Axe

$58,000 $52,500

3432 Mistletoe Lane

Res. Alteration

Ben Chapin

500 Harbor Cove Circle

New Plumbing

Howard Allen Stanton $50,000

681 Hibiscus Way

Res. New Plumbing

Paul Christie

$50,000

3261 Bayou Sound

Res. Windows/Doors

Kilsi Jimenez

$45,000

Bruce Howard Smith $42,520

370 Gulf of Mexico Drive #423

Comm. Alteration

100 Sands Point Road #103

Comm. Windows/Doors Lenny Fagundo

641 Rountree Drive

Res. Dock/Seawall/Lift Matthew Miller

$36,914

681 Binnacle Point Drive

Res. Dock/Seawall/Lift Christopher White

$34,000

524 Outrigger Lane

Res. Dock/Seawall/Lift Juan Carlos Romo

$30,900

578 Spanish Drive

Comm. Windows/Doors Austin Allen

$30,540

749 Penfield St.

Res. Dock/Seawall/Lift Lee Darrell Palmer

For nearly 50 years, Michael Saunders & Company has led Southwest Florida real estate. Our Developer Services Division offers unmatched expertise from concept to sell-out, partnering on 85+ landmark projects like the St. Regis Longboat Key Residences, The Collection, The Mark and The Ritz-Carlton Residences with innovation and integrity.

400 Central | 727.209.7848 | From $1.3M Call for an appointment | Residences400central.com

Let’s build something extraordinary together.

$37,552 The Edge Sarasota | 941.866.3068 | From Mid $3M Sales Gallery at 1801 Main Street | TheEdgeSarasota.com

$28,462

941.951.6650

3540 Gulf of Mexico Drive #203C Comm. Windows/Doors Casey Dunbar

$24,784

MSCDeveloperServices.com

1050 Longboat Club Road #301 Comm. Windows/Doors Michael Hollander

$23,827

3570 Fair Oaks Way

Res. A/C Changeout

$20,808

667 El Centro

Comm. Windows/Doors Austin Allen

$20,203

700 Penfield St.

Res. A/C Changeout

Kenneth Haines

$18,479

Gary Christopher

Waldorf Astoria Residences Sarasota From From $2.5M to $30M+ | WAResidencesSarasota.com

687 Jungle Queen Way

Res. A/C Changeout

Curtis Lee Miccichi

$17,226

2120 Harbourside Drive #642

Comm. Alteration

Darrell Seitz

$14,500

658 Spanish Drive

Comm. Windows/Doors Luis Solari

$14,230

Source: Town of Longboat Key

Prices as of January 2025

Issa Homes at SeaFlower | 941.491.7879 From $1.29M | SeaFlower.IssaHomes.com

463722-1

BONAIRE AT LONGBOAT KEY

REAL ESTATE

House on St. Armands Key tops week’s sales at $5.4 million

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

21

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

PROMENADE

L’AMBIANCE

PIERRE

415 L’AMBIANCE DR. #A301 LONGBOAT KEY, FL 3 BR / 3BA / 2HB • $6,100,000

1211 GULF OF MEXICO DR. #709 LONGBOAT KEY, FL 2 BED / 2 BATH • $1,695,000

EMERALD HARBOR

BAYOU - BAY ISLES

SANCTUARY

5970 EMERALD HARBOR DR. LONGBOAT KEY, FL 4 BED / 3 ½ BATH • $2,795,000

3131 BAYOU SOUND LONGBOAT KEY, FL 3 BED / 2 ½ BATH • $1,650,000

565 SANCTUARY DR. #B106 LONGBOAT KEY, FL 3 BED / 3 BATH • $1,799,000

ISLANDER CLUB

GULF FRONT

CLUB LONGBOAT

2295 GULF OF MEXICO DR. #23S LONGBOAT KEY, FL 2 BED / 2 BATH • $1,295,000

6685 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE LONGBOAT KEY, FL 8 BR / 8 BA / 2 HB • $15,550,000

5055 GULF OF MEXICO DR. #421 LONGBOAT KEY, FL 2 BED / 2 BATH • $549,000

455 LONGBOAT CLUB RD. #402 LONGBOAT KEY, FL 3 BED / 3 BATH • $2,095,000

INN ON THE BEACH

EMERALD POINTE SOUTH

INN ON THE BEACH

210 SANDS POINT RD. #2405 LONGBOAT KEY, FL 1 BED / 1 BATH • $1,100,000

1914 HARBOUR LINKS CIRCLE #10 LONGBOAT KEY, FL 3 BED / 3 ½ BATH • $1,445,000

225 SANDS POINT RD #6201 LONGBOAT KEY, FL 1 BED / 1 BATH • $675,000

TANGERINE BAY

INN ON THE BEACH

PRIVATEER

340 GULF OF MEXICO DR. #112 LONGBOAT KEY, FL 3 BED / 3 BATH • $1,775,000

225 SANDS POINT RD #7205 LONGBOAT KEY, FL 1 BED / 1 BATH • $675,000

1050 LONGBOAT CLUB RD. #903 LONGBOAT KEY, FL 2 BED / 2 BATH • $995,000

VIEW ADDITIONAL BRUCE MYER GROUP LISTINGS ON OUR WEBSITE • RANKED #2 COLDWELL BANKER DUO IN THE NATION • TOP 1.5% OF ALL REALTORS IN THE NATION • TOP FLORIDA 100 REALTOR - COLDWELL BANKER

CHASE MYER 941.315.5318

BRUCE MYER

941.376.5311

595 Bay Isles Rd, STE 250 Longboat Key, FL 34228

www.BruceMyer.com 449594-1 449628-1

22

YourObserver.com

23

LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

SUNRISE / SUNSET Sunrise Sunset

FRIDAY, JULY 10

Submit your photos at YourObserver. com/Contests.

All submissions will be entered in the 2026-27 Weather and Nature photo contest. In February 2027, you will vote for your favorite photo, and the submission with the most votes will win a $500 gift card.

High: 92 Low: 79 Chance of rain: 71%

Thursday, July 9

6:41a

8:28p

Friday, July 10

6:42a

8:47p

Saturday, July 11

6:42a

8:27p

Sunday, July 12

6:42a

8:27p

SATURDAY, JULY 11

Monday, July 13

6:43a

8:27p

High: 91 Low: 80 Chance of rain: 44%

Tuesday, July 14

6:43a

8:26p

Wednesday, July 15

6:44a

8:26p

WEATHER

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST

MOON PHASES SUNDAY, JULY 12 High: 91 Low: 80 Chance of rain: 19%

July 14 New

July 21 First

July 29 Full

Aug. 5 Last

TIDES Highs Lows Thursday, July 9

7:21a

11:05p

1:05a

3:54p

Friday, July 10

8:08a

—

1:07a

5:02p

Saturday, July 11

9:00a

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6:05p

Sunday, July 12

9:54a

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7:01p

Monday, July 13

10:50a

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7:52p

Tuesday, July 14

11:45a

—

—

8:38p

Wednesday, July 15

4:12a

12:42p

6:23a

9:20p

Corey Shepherd captured this photo of a textured sky at sunset on Longboat Key.

We have all of your luxury flooring needs carpet | hardwood | tile | stone | pavers | and more Sarasota 941.355.8437 | Bradenton 941.748.4679 | Venice 941.493.7441 | manasotaonline.com

Daily crossword puzzles available at YourObserver.com/crossword

By Luis Campos

47 South Bend’s state (Abbr.)

48 “Give ___ rest!”

52 Prefix for “amorous” 53 R&B singer Lennox 56 Tennis icon Arthur 57 Type of salami 58 501(c)(3) grps., etc.

61 See 14-Down 63 Insult 64 Chinese philosophy DOWN 65 Rustic stopovers 1 Haiku great Matsuo 67 First Nations group 2 They, in Spanish 68 “Take a Byte” singer 3 Coral ring Janelle 4 Tartare and sashimi 70 Suspect’s out 5 Some HS promgoers 72 Mont Blanc, e.g.

6 “Victory is ours!”

74 Oranges’ white parts 7 Oscar winner Cara 75 CEO, e.g.

8 Evergreen tree 76 Wedding vow 9 “Home run!”

77 Director DaCosta 10 Pilfer 78 Pumpkin dessert 11 Compensates 80 Person making a 12 HI instruments getaway 13 Long for 83 NBA tally 14 With 61-Down, mess 84 That woman up plans, or a hint to the 85 Contacted on Insta second way that six titles in 87 Betrayed by snitching this puzzle are transformed 90 Coder’s industry 15 2009 Disney princess 91 “That’s not so!” retort 31 Population’s stock of 60 Dutch flower 85 German article 16 Hunter constellation 92 Kicks out of a rental DNA 62 “The Blacklist” actor 86 Flashing light 17 Ivy League school that 94 Boat for rapids 33 Atkinson who plays Mr. James 88 Sworn statement sounds like a ballpoint 95 Patriotic song Bean 64 Bathroom flooring 89 Novella in which a 19 Humble 98 Cars 34 Change for a five 66 Harsh review traveler goes to the future 23 Major enthusiast 99 Smelled bad 36 NBC sketch show 67 Rom-com in which a ... to fix brake pads?

25 “Jumbo” suffix 100 Word after “free” or 37 Name that anagrams to comic artist ... tries to date 93 Wipe clean 29 Kick back and relax “talent” “eaten” lots of people at once?

96 Summer, in French 32 Hushed “Hey!” 101 Overused 39 Novel in which boys on 69 “___-ching!”

97 Far-reaching 35 Restaurant touch screen 102 Out of bed an island ... vie to take the 71 Gawked 98 City on the Nile button 104 False name best social media pics?

73 “Going already?”

100 Psychedelic experience 37 Madre’s hermano 105 “Inferno” poet 45 V-E Day conflict 74 Suffix for “cine” or 103 “Voila!”

38 Sleep lab test, for short 106 Emo emotion 49 Afternoon nap “biblio” 107 Crime film in which 39 Exam on “Suits” (Abbr.) 107 Labor safety org.

50 Suffix for “medal” or 76 Shoe cushion George Clooney ... doesn’t 40 Cover with grease 108 Savior “motor” 78 Anti-smoking ad, e.g. get the chicken he ordered?

41 Tangible investment 109 Pigmented eye part 51 Beagle’s loving owner 79 Japanese generation 110 Gimbap grain like gold 114 Bee product 54 Chicken ___ king hidden backward in “ties 111 Flair 42 Skater’s pelvis protector 115 Sgt., e.g.

55 Hardly suitable in knots” 112 Maze instruction 43 “Como ___?”

57 ___ long way (help a lot) 81 Veto 113 Surprising conclusion, 44 Rx-regulating org.

59 Tater Tots brand 82 Zero-calorie soda brand or a hint to the first way 46 Give an opinion about that six titles in this puzzle are transformed 116 Clown nose sound 117 Sportscaster Andrews 118 Hall’s pop partner 119 “Trench” garments 120 Inquires 121 Nearly all 122 Plow beasts 123 Initial stage

ACROSS 1 Teddies and grizzlies 6 Cafe amenity 10 Tater 14 Sporty car roof 18 Wedding vow site 19 Earn 20 Point of view 21 Give a job to 22 Spy thriller series in which Jack Lowden ... shampoos for hours?

24 Fatigue from excessive screen time 26 ___ dozen (six) 27 Japanese noodle 28 Mystery film in which Daniel Craig ... wears a tumbler-shaped patch?

30 Norwegian capital

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

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“ZAG LHZS HQGATF YPG GA BA GCVF: QTPHGP H UIXX QCHTHQGPT ... HZB GCPZ HQGIHXXS LHOP GCP QCAVQP GA QALP GA H QXAFP.”

FHZBTH AC

“RNG BMSGHV XHRCTR CT JMHDCVL JCRN TFXUG XVS RCBG, XVS GPFHGTTCVL NCT ZGGICVLT HXRNGH RNXV CIIATRHXRCVL.” OXUDTMV FMIIMUD

“HT HIUVPG HRFP JYGP NP VRF HIAPT DIG HP UI URSP KPJJIAJ, QYU NP FXFA’U VRZP HIAPT UI BI UI UVP UVPRUPG.” QPGARFPUUP OPUPGJ Puzzle Three Clue: F equals D

SCATTERPLOTS by Vu and Jessica Zetzman, edited by Taylor Johnson

©2026 Universal Uclick

celebrity cipher

Puzzle Two Clue: N equals H

crossword

Come Shop our Showrooms!

Puzzle Two Clue: T equals R

457538-1

at MANASOTA FLOORING INC

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

©2026 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

07-09-26

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

RED PAGES DEADLINES: Classifieds - Monday at 2PM Service Directory - Friday at 3PM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card 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.

Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Merchandise Wanted

Items Under $200 ADVERTISE YOUR MERCHANDISE with the total value of all items $200 or less in this section for FREE! Limit 1 ad per month,15 words or less. Price must be included next to each item. No commercial advertising.

Ad runs 2 consecutive weeks in 1 Observer.

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

Autos for Sale 2007 JAGUAR XK convertible.

Baby blue 43467 Mileage. $18500 (941)350-6544

Condos/Apts. for Rent FLOAT YOUR BOAT in Sarasota Bay from your beautiful Marina Suite, one of 20 waterfront units at Condo on the Bay (888 Blvd of the Arts) adjacent to The Bay Park and downtown Sarasota.

3BR/3.5BA, furnished, 2/car garage, 3 balconies, 24/hr security, 2 pools, tennis and fitness rooms. Large boat dock included. Annual $7,500/mo plus utilities. NP, NS. Immediate availability pending COTB application approval.

Call 847-331-6961

Antiques/ Collectibles

ANTIQUES WANTED SEAPLACE LBK gulffront highrise.Peaceful greenbelt & bay views, elegant turnkey-furnished 2BR/2BA, hurricane-impact ready, half mile beach, next to clubhouse pool, gym & sauna, 2 properties from St. Regis restaurants & beach bar $499,000 (619) 787-7811

Paintings •B Bronzes •P Sculptures •O Oriental Rugs •S Asian Art •A Antique Furniture •A

Al Tomlinson 40+ years in Sarasota Honest Evaluations NO ONE PAYS MORE!

941-400-8811 FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE! Boat Slips for Rent/Sale BOAT SLIPS FOR LEASE ON LONGBOAT KEY Annual and monthly leases are available. Deep water slips up to 40 ft with water and electrical service. Easy access to Sarasota Bay, ICW and Gulf Call 941-500-3895.

Plantation Golf Course View Condo 3 Bed $294,000

Pool Home Completely Upgraded $545,000

Condos/Apts. for Sale

WANTED

Sailboat Access Canal 4 Bed Pending $675,000

House on Canal with Pool & Dock $1,250,000

real estate

auto

stuff

SENIOR LOOKING to purchase precious metals, diamonds, time pieces, coins, jewelry, antique and estate jewelry, and some collectors plates. Personal and confidential.

Please call Marc: 941-321-0707

Over 1 Acre Beachfront House $6.5 million

Luxury Sarasota Bay views 4 Bed 5 Bath with Boat Dock $1.76 million Near South bridge to Siesta One level, heated pool, stroll to shops. 3Bed-2.5Bath $1,250,000 Brooke O’Malley CLUB REALTY Call 941-726-2677

FIND BUYERS AND SELLERS HERE!

941-955-4888 Autos Wanted

941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

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.

Homes for Sale

L’AMBIANCE, LONGBOAT KEY Beach front 2BR/3BA condo on high floor with wrap-around terrace, 270 degree views over the Gulf, Sarasota Bay and LBK Club.

Sunrises, sunsets through floor to ceiling windows. View at: www.thephotos.smugmug.com Call John at: 203-984-8477 or E-mail: garment@optonline.net LONGBOAT KEY: Beachfront Condos, 1st or 2nd floor, 2BR/2BA, W/D in units, free Wi-Fi, heated pool, & parking.

Call 941-383-3338.

WEEKLY MONTHLY SEASONAL RATES Between Houses or Condos Reservations 941-383-5577 wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com Visa/MC

101 Longboat Key, FL 34228 M-F Ask about our special rates!

Wagner Realty

COME CHECK Out a Newly Renovated Home on Siesta Key

YourObserver.com/RedPages

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

Wallpaper installation & removal, pressure washing. Residential & condos.

Honest & reliable.

For Free estimates call CARL 941-448-8468 35+ years experience.

Auto Transport

SARASOTA PAINTING & DESIGN

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

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

INTERIOR / EXTERIOR / CABINETS

Cleaning TOTAL HOME SERVICES CLEANING Residential/Commercial, Vacation Rentals, Real Estate, Clubhouse/Amenities.

Power Washing (Soft Wash), Construction, Window washing/DI Window Cleaning











(941)756-4570 (941)782-8018 totalhomeservicecleaning @ymail.com

WE ARE THE BEST Residential & Commercial.

Fully Insured, Full Service.

We work with the most beautiful properties in the Sarasota and surrounding areas!

CALL or TEXT Don 941-900-9398 28 Years Experience

Professional Services AUTOBIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR Edited and Published HighCottonPublishing.com 941-706-2463

This week’s Crossword answers

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals

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

CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

Place Your Ad Online

YourObserver.com/RedPages

5360 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Suite

YourObserver.com/RedPages

SELL IT FAST!

941-955-4888

Beachfront, Bayfront and In

FIND FIND IT BUYERS IN THE & SELLERS RED PAGES HERE!

Where Clean Meets Care Delivering reliable, top-quality cleaning for homes and businesses.

Contact: (407) 528-6401

home services

Homes for Sale

Since 1939

©2026 Universal Uclick

You’re only cheating yourself.

redpages@yourobserver.com • yourobserver.com/redpages

peekers’ place

INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

Cleaning

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “Not many actors get to do this: Create a full character ... and then actually make the choice to come to a close.”

Sandra Oh

Puzzle Two Solution: “The modern artist is working with space and time, and expressing his feelings rather than illustrating.” Jackson Pollock Puzzle Three Solution: “My mother made sure we had money for me to take lessons, but we didn’t have money to go to the theater.”

Bernadette Peters

This week’s Sudoku answers

www.rentalsonlongboat.com

Beautiful pool and canal front home Open House This Weekend Call June for details (941)228-8139

©2026 NEA, Inc.

RED PAGES. MADE FOR WHERE YOU LIVE. HERE! TO ADVERTISE CALL 941-955-4888 OR VISIT WWW.YOUROBSERVER.COM/REDPAGES

YourObserver.com

25

LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

Auto Service

Health

SELL YOUR CAR!

GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

Kenneth Fuhlman Inc. Building & Roofing Contractor

Do You Have Neck or Low Back Pain?

Do You Want To Avoid Surgery?

Give Us a Call - We Can Help

FREE CONSULTATION 941.358.2224 463925

HoHoBuysCars.com

Recognized Among the Best Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Physicians in America

941-626-3194 kennethfuhlmaninc.com

Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936

Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

Financial Services

Transportation

BLACK LABEL CAR SERVICE “Luxury for Less”

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC

> edwardjones.com | Member SIPC > edwardjones.com | Member SIPC

Midtown Medical Park 1215 S. East Ave. Suite 210 Sarasota, FL 34239

We canCDs. help. tocks. Bonds.

IRAs. Mutual funds.

John M. Campora, ChFC®, CRPC™ We can help.

Financial JohnAdvisor M. Campora, ChFC®, CRPC™

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Windows

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www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com DrCifra@SarasotaDiscCenter.com

6400 Manatee Avenue West, Suite B ® Financial34209 Advisor John M. Campora, , CRPC™ Bradenton, FL ChFC

6400 Manatee Avenue West, Suite B Financial 941-779-2499 Advisor Bradenton, FL 34209 6400 Manatee Avenue West, Suite B 941-779-2499 Bradenton, FL 34209

941 - 248 - 4734 463495

> edwardjones.com | Member SIPC

Unsure whether you can retire?

Stocks. Bonds. CDs. IRAs. Mutual funds.

Call to schedule a one-on-one.

EJB-19325-A-E-DA-2

EJB-19325-A-E-DA-2

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MIC INSURANCE

C.T. MALLETT HANDYMAN SERVICES

Accepting Credit Cards

941.302.5850

SERVING SIESTA KEY & SARASOTA COUNTY

464972

Handyman Carpentry • Painting Pressure Washing

Mike Mailliard ~ Lacey Weaver Allen Hovis ~ Marshall Bruce Matthew Mailliard ~ Julia McIlrevey Christopher Byrne ~ Samantha Ryan Jaimie Simpkins ~ Amanda Nazario

ON TARGET Advertise your business, starting at only $85 per month.

Call 941-955-4888 to reserve your ad YourObserver.com/RedPages

Home • Condo • Auto • Umbrella • Boat • Flood

464805

Res. | Com. | Lic. | Ins.

EXPERIENCE KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS

Our team of professionals provides superior service and expertise for all of your insurance needs.

RIGHT OBSERVER RED PAGES

Serving Longboat Key Since 2005

Insurance 464634

941-779-2499

463494

5-Star Rated

595 Bay Isles Rd. Suite 215 941.554.8909 | www.micinsurancefl.com

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Formerly known as Sunrise Windows UP TO

160

25 $

STANDARD WINDOWS

INCLUDING SCREENS, TRACKS, MIRRORS & FANS

SPECIAL 00 5

$

senior citizen discount.

www.sunsetwindowcleaningsrq.com

PURIFIED WATER WINDOW CLEANING AVAIL ABLE!!

Call Tibor for FREE ESTIMATES 941- 284 - 5880

463496

WE COME TO YOU

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410036

FAST • EASY • SAFE

941.270.4400

Roofing

Insurance

SECUR-ALL INSURANCE AGENCY 510 BAY ISLES ROAD, SUITE 1 • LONGBOAT KEY, FL (Next to SUNTRUST BANK)

CHUBB, AIG, UNIVERSAL, UNITED, SAFECO, PROGRESSIVE, VAULT, FLOOD, WE HAVE YOU COVERED!

TREASURES

found here.

Looking for something? Your lucky discovery is closer than you think.

RED PAGES Made for where you live. Here!

Call 941-955-4888 or visit YourObserver.com/redpages

441238

Sandra Smith | 941.383.3388

26

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

B U YE R’ S TO

TO

TO

B U YE R’ S

B U YE R’ S

E XC L US I V E L I S T I N G S - TO U R T H E S E L U X U RY H O M E S TO DAY

Thur 7/9+Fri 7/10, 1p-4p

$6,995,000

Designed by renowned Sarasota architect Guy Peterson, this striking contemporary waterfront residence is tucked within the coveted Lido Shores community, along Pansy Bayou, on more than a 1/2-acre. The 4BR, 4,600+ SF interior blends awardworthy architecture with extensive recent renovations.

www.246MorningsideDrive.com

1513 OAK STREET #18

www.1513OakStreet.com

TO

TO

TO

667 MOURNING DOVE DRIVE $10,995,000

1199 WESTWAY DRIVE $6,999,000

476 MEADOW LARK DRIVE $4,199,000

7689 COVE TERRACE $3,499,000

www.667MourningDove.com

www.1199WestwayDrive.com

www.476MeadowLark.com

www.7689 CoveTerrace.com B U YE R’ S

Just three homes in from the open bay waters, this updated 4BR waterfront residence is on a quiet cul-de-sac with nearly 100’ of water frontage.

TO

TO

TO

TO

B U YE R’ S

This 4BR waterfront residence blends timeless coastal design with extensive updates and exceptional indoor-outdoor living.

B U YE R’ S

This Gulf-front property is an exceptional opportunity to build a signature coastal estate on nearly half an acre with 127’ of water frontage.

B U YE R’ S

This stunning direct bayfront 5BR Murray-built estate spans nearly 6,600 SF and captures panoramic bay views that stretch out to the Gulf.

$1,449,000

Brand-new furnishings elevate this ideal move-in-ready downtown Sarasota retreat. Located in the heart of the city, this two-story, 3BR residence blends the privacy and comfort of single-family living with the walkability and energy of downtown just outside your door.

TO

B U YE R’ S

B U YE R’ S

www.LAmbiancePHF.com

246 MORNINGSIDE DRIVE

B U YE R’ S

$12,995,000

Perched atop the coveted South Building at L’Ambiance, this extraordinary beach-to-bay 4BR penthouse redefines luxury coastal living. Encompassing nearly 5,000 SF of refined interior and 3,600+ SF of wraparound terraces, offering panoramic views of the Gulf, bay, golf course, and downtown’s city skyline.

B U YE R’ S

415 L’AMBIANCE DRIVE #PH-F

8250 HUGH ALISON PLACE $3,249,000

705 JUNGLE QUEEN WAY $2,795,000

2410 HARBOURSIDE DRIVE #142 $2,695,000

35 WATERGATE DRIVE #1506 $2,499,000

www.705JungleQueen.com

www.MarinaBay142.com

www.TowerResidences1506.com

TO

TO

B U YE R’ S

This 15th-floor Ritz-Carlton corner residence is the epitome of downtown luxury living with stunning views. Includes 2 parking spaces!

TO

B U YE R’ S

Beautiful updates throughout this direct bayfront, nearly 3,400 SF residence, offered fully furnished with secure parking and beach access.

TO

B U YE R’ S

www.8250HughAlisonPlace.com

This newer-built 4BR boater’s escape offers resurfaced pool, newer dock, lift, and seawall that perfectly complements a coastal lifestyle.

B U YE R’ S

Custom 5BR, 5,100 SF residence captures the essence of Laurel Oaks’ golf-course lifestyle, on nearly an acre with sweeping fairway views.

2050 BEN FRANKLIN DRIVE #B-704 $2,495,000

355 SOUTH SHORE DRIVE $2,295,000

541 FORE DRIVE - HARBOUR WALK $1,850,000

1055 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE #504 $1,299,000

www.OrchidBeachB704.com

www.355SouthShore.com

www.541ForeDrive.com

www.Beachplace8504.com

www.LongboatLanding101.com

www.1350SiestaBayside.com

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www.3295AlexFindlayPlace.com

1328 SIESTA BAYSIDE DRIVE #1328C $714,000

1111 NORTH GULFSTREAM AVENUE #10E 1350 MAIN STREET #712 $589,000 $699,000

www.1328SiestaBayside.com

www.OneWatergate10E.com

Located in a gated community, this 2BR turnkey getaway offers a beach-to-bay Siesta Key lifestyle, with its own private garage.

Located on the 10th-floor, this nearly 1,600 SF downtown residence offers captivating city, bay, and bridge views. Includes 2 parking spaces!

$869,999 5311 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE #5 $799,000

Perfectly placed on an oversized corner parcel, this 3BR, 2,273 SF courtyard home is waiting for your personal touches.

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Experience turnkey island living at this 3BR townhome residence a short walk from famed Siesta Key Beach. Includes private 1-car garage.

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Rarely available within the intimate community of Longboat Landing, this updated, turnkey 3BR bayfont residence offers effortless island living.

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3295 ALEX FINLDAY PLACE

This walkable, 7th-floor residence is the epitome of downtown living, in a pet-friendly community with many convenient amenities.

www.1350Main712.com

Turnkey furnished and updated, this 2BR Beach Castle getaway is steps from the Gulf, offering proven rental potential.

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1350 SIESTA BAYSIDE DRIVE #1350B $949,000

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5320 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE #101 $999,000

Furnished, direct Gulf-front getaway boasts an average of $70,000/year in rental income! Includes covered and additional parking spaces.

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The epitome of coastal contemporary living at this gorgeous 5BR home. Designer finishes, seamless outdoor living, and new dock (2025).

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Design your waterfront dream home in the heart of one of Sarasota’s most sought-after neighborhoods. Unobstructed bay access!

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Beach-to-bay views abound from this turnkey furnished 3BR executive getaway at the Orchid Beach resort-style community.

631 NORTH ORANGE AVENUE #107 $339,900

Furnished, updated, and move-in ready, charming 2BR retreat in downtown’s Rosemary District, with covered parking.

www.MentoneCourt107.com

$400+ MILLION SOLD IN THE LAST TWO YEARS The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Affiliated real estate agents are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2023 Coldwell Banker.

All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logo are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker® System is comprised of company owned offices which are owned by a subsidiary of Anywhere Advisors LLC and franchised offices which are independently owned and operated. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act.

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